Murcia maintains the alert for heavy rains this afternoon after exceeding 70 liters in one hour in Cartagena.

The text of the Special Civil Protection Plan against Flood Risk in the Region of Murcia (Inunmur Plan) does not appear in full in the sources consulted, but it does describe how the Murcian authorities and other equivalent regional plans act when the rain alert is lowered. From these recent actions, it is possible to reliably reconstruct the usual steps once the meteorological episode begins to subside.

In the Region of Murcia, during the DANA Alice, the regional government maintained the Inunmur Plan at level 2 while the riverbeds normalized, even when the situation improved and it was confirmed that there were no victims or imminent risk of overflow. The Segura Hydrographic Confederation then reported a “gradual normalization” of the Albujón, Las Colonias, and La Maraña streams, with no risk of overflow on the coast of the Mar Menor, but with a request for caution to the population due to still flooded areas (Demócrata report).

If this behavior is compared with what other flood plans include, a common pattern is observed:

• Transition to the recovery phase. When the worst AEMET warnings are considered overcome and the alert is lowered, regional flood plans usually move from the emergency phase to a recovery or “return to normality” phase. For example, the INUNBAL Plan in the Balearic Islands “moves to the recovery and return to normality phase” once operational situation 2 is deactivated and the safe condition of infrastructures is verified (note on INUNBAL). Andalusia follows a similar scheme by indicating that, after the withdrawal of the most severe warnings, “the Recovery Phase now begins” in its flood emergency plan (Junta de Andalucía).
• Progressive de-escalation of the device. Moving to recovery does not mean deactivating all resources at once. In the Balearic Islands, the Military Emergency Unit (UME) begins a progressive withdrawal of personnel and resources once the situation is lowered, but maintains surveillance while safety conditions consolidate. It is reasonable to think of a similar scheme for Inunmur: gradual withdrawal of state support and maintenance of regional and local devices until it is ensured that there are no sudden reactivations of the flood.
• Enhanced monitoring of riverbeds and critical points. In the Region of Murcia itself, after the most intense phase of DANA Alice, the CHS reported normalization of flows and disappearance of overflow risk, but close monitoring of streams and low points was maintained, while warning the population about water pools and still flooded areas. This type of continuous hydrological monitoring is typical of post-emergency phases.
• Political and technical coordination. Once the alert is lowered, the regional government usually holds specific meetings to assess damage and set priorities. President Fernando López Miras, for example, convened the Government Council in San Javier to analyze the consequences of the rains and publicly inform about the situation of the most affected municipalities (Demócrata). These types of meetings are part of post-emergency governance: closing the strictly operational phase and opening the evaluation and planning phase.
• Information to the public and caution. Even after lowering warnings, various regional plans insist on following official recommendations, avoiding unnecessary travel, and not approaching riverbeds or flood-prone areas. The Valencian Community, for example, when withdrawing the “Emergency Situation 0” for floods, warns that “it will continue raining” although with less intensity and asks to maintain caution (Comunitat Valenciana).

Applying all the above to the Inunmur Plan, it is most likely that, once the rain alert is lowered, the next steps will be structured around:

• Moving from the emergency phase to a recovery phase and gradual return to normality.
• Phased withdrawal of extraordinary resources (such as UME or other state supports), keeping regional and municipal devices operational while there are still specific risks.
• Continuing hydrological monitoring of streams and riverbeds until system stability is confirmed.
• Gathering the coordination body (Government Council and emergency committees) to assess damage, prioritize actions, and communicate the balance to public opinion.
• Insisting, even with the alert lowered, on messages of caution to the population while water pools are eliminated, roads are reopened, and the most urgent repairs are consolidated.

To know with absolute precision the sequence of phases and the official names of each stage of the Inunmur Plan, it would be necessary to consult the plan’s own text; however, the behavior described by the Murcian authorities and the comparison with other regional flood plans allow anticipating that the real scheme will be very similar to the one described.

The mayor of Cartagena is the highest municipal authority in civil protection and, therefore, plays a central role in managing emergencies caused by rain and floods. Her competencies come from basic local legislation (Local Regime Bases Law), the state law of the National Civil Protection System, and the regulations of the Region of Murcia (Law 3/2023 on Emergencies and Civil Protection and regional plans such as the Special Flood Plan INUNMUR). In practice, this translates into three main blocks: direction of the municipal device, adoption of urgent measures, and coordination with the Autonomous Community and the State.

1. Direction of the municipal emergency device

Within the municipality, the mayor is the authority who directs the response to intense rains while the emergency remains at the local level. This typically includes:

• Activating the municipal emergency plan (territorial or specific flood plan) in the pre-emergency or emergency phase, depending on AEMET warnings and the real situation in the city. In the Region of Murcia, municipalities have municipal plans integrated into the regional civil protection system.
• Mobilizing all necessary municipal services: Local Police, Firefighters, Civil Protection, Social Services, street cleaning, park and garden maintenance, public lighting, water company, etc. Press releases from various Murcian town halls show devices very similar to what Cartagena can activate: all these services go into “alert status” and are deployed in flood-prone areas.
• Constituting and presiding over the municipal emergency committee or local coordination center, where the evolution of the rain is monitored, resources are distributed, and operational decisions are made (traffic cuts, personnel reinforcements, prioritization of incidents).

2. Urgent measures to protect the population

In a situation of intense rains or floods, the mayor can directly adopt executive decisions within the municipal area, always respecting regional and state legislation. Among the powers that practice and regulations attribute to mayors are:

• Closing streets and access points when there is a risk of flooding or vehicle dragging.
• Ordering preventive evacuations of homes, campsites, urbanizations, or facilities located in risk areas. In a recent episode in Cartagena, the City Council evacuated urbanizations such as Villas Caravaning or Bahía Bella and relocated those affected by promoting temporary accommodations.
• Enabling reception resources (municipal pavilions, shelters, sports facilities) for evacuated people, coordinating the means of Civil Protection and municipal Social Services.
• Suspending municipal activities (festivals, outdoor events, park use) and recommending suspension of other public or private activities when AEMET warnings and the situation advise it. When the Autonomous Community decrees the general cancellation of activities in Campo de Cartagena due to a red alert, the mayor applies and deploys that decision in the municipality.
• Issuing proclamations and warnings to the population, giving instructions on self-protection, areas to avoid, road closures, or use of municipal services. Civil protection regulations foresee the use of all available channels (local media, municipal web and social networks, coordinated warnings with 112).

3. Coordination with the Region of Murcia and the State

When the emergency exceeds the local scope, formal direction passes to regional bodies, but the mayor remains a key piece:

• The Region of Murcia has the Special Civil Protection Plan against Flood Risk (INUNMUR) and a regional territorial plan. Its activation and level changes (for example, to level 2 with UME deployment) are decided by the Autonomous Community, not the mayor.
• In these cases, the mayor of Cartagena maintains command over municipal services, but must integrate her actions into the regional coordination structure (112 centers and coordination committees). She is obliged to:
  • Inform the regional coordination center of damages, needs, and situation evolution.
  • Execute in the municipality the instructions issued by the Civil Protection of the Region of Murcia and, if applicable, the General State Administration.
  • Request reinforcements when local resources are insufficient (for example, support from UME or other municipalities), through the channels provided in the plan.

4. Prevention and preparation against rains

Beyond the immediate emergency, the mayor also has relevant competencies in prevention:

• Promoting and updating municipal civil protection plans, which must comply with Law 17/2015 of the National Civil Protection System, the Basic Civil Protection Standard, and Law 3/2023 of the Region of Murcia.
• Organizing and equipping the Municipal Civil Protection Volunteer Group, ensuring its training, material means, and integration into the public emergency system.
• Promoting works and risk reduction measures (improvement of drainage, storm tanks, sanitation networks, actions in urban streams), in coordination with the Autonomous Community, the Hydrographic Confederation, and the State.

In summary, the mayor of Cartagena directs the municipal response to rains, adopts urgent decisions to protect the population, and coordinates that action with regional and state plans and commands, within a tiered civil protection system in which each level assumes direction according to the severity and extent of the episode.

AEMET declares a red alert for rain when, for a specific area, precipitation is forecasted to be so intense or abundant that it represents an extreme risk to life and property. It is not a discretionary decision but based on quantitative thresholds included in its Meteoalert Plan, which vary depending on the geographic area and type of rain (very intense in a short time or very abundant over several hours).

1. What exactly is a red alert for rain

AEMET's meteorological warnings are classified as yellow, orange, and red depending on the risk level. Red is the highest and is reserved for situations where:

• The probability of reaching the extreme threshold is sufficiently high (AEMET works with probability ranges).
• Exceeding that threshold can cause very serious or widespread damage: rapid floods, overflows, road closures, impact on essential services, etc.
• Impact on population and relevant activities is expected (not only in practically uninhabited areas).

AEMET issues the alert; from there, Civil Protection and regional governments activate their own emergency levels or special flood plans.

2. Rain thresholds: they are not the same throughout the country

A key point is that the red alert threshold for rain is not uniform across Spain. It varies according to:

• The Meteoalert zone (subdivisions within each province: coast, interior, mountain, etc.).
• Whether it is torrential rain in a very short time (e.g., in 1 hour) or accumulation over several hours (e.g., 12 or 24 hours).
• The usual climatology of the area. What is extreme in one region may be less exceptional in another.

In practice, recent episodes that have triggered red alerts illustrate the orders of magnitude well:

• On the coast of Valencia and Castellón, AEMET has activated red alerts with forecasts of around 180 l/m² in 12 hours or similar amounts concentrated in 3–4 hours.
• In areas of eastern Andalusia (such as regions of Almería or Málaga), red alerts have been established for expected accumulations of around 120–180 l/m² in 12 hours, depending on the specific area.
• For torrential rain in a very short time, in various episodes AEMET has mentioned accumulations exceeding about 90 l/m² in 1 hour as a typical range associated with “torrential intensity” and extreme risk.

These values are not a general “magic number” but examples of specific thresholds for each zone. The Meteoalert Plan contains internal tables with exact values by meteorological region, which may differ somewhat from one territory to another.

3. Practical requirements for AEMET to move to red

Simplified, a region or area moves to a red alert for rain when several factors occur simultaneously:

• Models and observations indicate a high probability of exceeding the red precipitation threshold set for that area (in 1, 12, or 24 hours).
• The episode has a potentially catastrophic character: possibility of sudden floods, river or stream overflows, severe urban flooding, impact on key infrastructures.
• It affects a significant surface area within the warning zone (not just a very localized and isolated point).
• Emergency services need an unequivocal signal of “extreme danger” to activate their plans (school closures, mobility restrictions, etc.).

That is why AEMET emphasizes that red alerts are very exceptional within the total warnings issued: they represent a minimal fraction of the annual total.

4. Important: “region” does not mean the entire autonomous community

Although the media may speak of “red alert in Andalusia” or “in the Valencian Community,” AEMET works with smaller warning zones. In practice, the red alert usually affects:

• Part of the coast (e.g., “southern coast of Valencia,” “Sol and Guadalhorce,” “Almanzora Valley and Los Vélez”).
• The interior of a province or a specific mountain area.

That is, it is not necessary for the entire autonomous community to meet the threshold; it is enough that in the corresponding Meteoalert zone rains are forecasted that exceed the red values set for that territory and time period.

In summary: for AEMET to declare a red alert for rain in a region, no administrative requirement of the community is demanded, but in one of its warning zones extraordinary precipitation —in intensity or accumulation— is forecasted that exceeds the red thresholds defined for that place in the Meteoalert Plan and with a sufficient probability of causing extreme risk to the population.