Breathe
By Aidée Zamorano
I have written several times in this space that disasters are not natural events, but social constructions that evidence failures in integrated risk management and lack of governance. Now, in Spanish: the human losses of the October 29th disaster in Spain could have been avoided. When an extreme hydrometeorological phenomenon occurs, the vulnerability of working people becomes evident. On this side of the pond there are also companies that prioritized profits over safety.
I am frustrated to learn that in a country where internet access is almost 95% of the population (Digital 2023: Spain), the public and private sector failed to coordinate. I will write it clearly and bluntly: the private sector in Spain is responsible for the deaths of workers in Valencia. Spain's National Civil Protection System Law 17/2015 states that in terms of prevention, companies must adopt measures to protect their operations and infrastructures. However many companies ignored these guidelines, and while the danger increased, insisted that their staff continue working. The Godin class is the first to face the costs of communication without strategy and it doesn't matter which side of the pond we live on.
The activation of the red alert in social networks was not understood neither by the population, nor by the local media, nor by the private sector. As the head of AEMET (State Meteorological Agency), José Ángel Núñez, pointed out, life went on as normal in the city despite the warning. I checked the emergency alerts myself and they were buried under layers of clicks. Not even with my flooding bias did I understand a couple of "tweets" on the Valencia AEMET account.It is urgent that the private sector in coordination with the authorities strengthen their protocols and that response mechanisms are generated that leave no one behind.
Disaster risk management is not only the responsibility of governments and it cannot be assumed that by communicating on social networks there is already an understanding of the messages. Don't be like my former boss's boss who confused "likes" with social impact.
It is the responsibility of the public, private and social sectors to create and reinforce a culture of prevention that places the integrity and well-being of people at the center of strategies. The case of Valencia should serve as a lesson to remember that disasters are not natural and, unfortunately, working people are abandoned to their fate due to the incompetence of authorities and workplaces.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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