Antonio Morales: “Going up puts us, our families, and those who respond to incidents at risk.”
The island president points out that the forecast indicates that Storm Emilia will intensify its effects throughout Saturday.
Federico Grillo points out that the gusts at high altitude exceed 80 kilometers per hour and that the sensation is one of very intense cold.
By 9:00 a.m. a total of 104 incidents had been dealt with, none of them serious.
“The waves are also a concern, so it’s best to avoid going to the coast,” notes technical director Carlos Velázquez.
The Gran Canaria Island Council is asking the population to limit travel as much as possible and, above all, not to go to the summit or put themselves at risk on the coast, given that the Island Emergency Plan (PEIN) has been activated due to snowfall, winds, rain and adverse coastal phenomena caused by Storm Emilia, as stressed this morning by both the island president, Antonio Morales, and the head of Emergencies, Federico Grillo.
“It rained a lot in Gran Canaria during the early hours of this morning. That's very good, because water is entering our reservoirs. But there has also been a lot of wind, and that has caused serious problems in the interior of the island. There is a huge risk of falling trees, rockfalls, landslides, and so on,” commented Antonio Morales.
“And it has snowed on the summit, and that encourages us to visit the summit, but we must not do so at this time, because the storm will continue throughout this afternoon and will intensify as the day progresses, therefore I urge you not to go up, because you are putting yourselves at risk, you are putting your families at risk and the people who are working to ensure that the incidents are as minor as possible.”
For his part, the head of Emergencies for the Island Council, Federico Grillo, pointed out that “the situation right now is complicated in the central summit, with rainfall totals reaching 100 mm. There is some snow and especially hail at slightly lower elevations than expected for the snowfall, so we must above all avoid traffic jams in the summit,” particularly in certain areas of the municipality of San Mateo.
The Island Council emphasizes that the recommendation against climbing to the summit is primarily related to preserving personal safety, but also to avoid disruptions to essential services, as well as to "protect those who protect us," as Antonio Morales stressed. Furthermore, Grillo pointed out that conditions at the summit "are not good, with very strong winds exceeding 80 kilometers per hour," a circumstance that intensifies the feeling of extreme cold.
“The important thing is to keep that area closed. There are numerous incidents on the island's roads, and the emergency services and road maintenance crews are very busy. Going up there means traffic jams and losing the whole day,” Grillo insists. He also reports that “there's no quality snow.” Road access to the summit remains closed.
Meanwhile, the technical director of PEIN, Carlos Velázquez, reports that as of 9:00 a.m. this Saturday, December 13, 104 incidents had been attended to, although none were extremely serious. “It has rained quite a bit in the mountains, precipitation that added to what fell on Friday in the mid-altitude areas,” he explained. The wind is currently affecting mainly the northern area, and he noted that “the waves are worrying, so it is best to avoid going to the coast.”
