The Andratx Town Council has detailed its Local Action Plan (PAAL), which identifies evacuation routes and prioritises confinement. More than 90% of residents in isolated homes have been located.
The Councillor for Environment and Civil Protection of Andratx, Toni Nicolau, has revealed that the municipality has identified more than 90% of the residents living in isolated homes in the mountains. This data is part of the Local Action Plan (PAAL), created after the devastating fire in 2013 that ravaged nearly 2,400 hectares in the Serra de Tramuntana.
Controlled evacuation and confinement as a priority
The PAAL does not specify which roads to cut, but it does detail roads and forest tracks that can serve as evacuation routes for dispersed homes. According to Nicolau, collaboration with local associations has been key to registering residents in at-risk areas.
The PAAL identifies roads and forest tracks that can serve as evacuation routes
In the event of a fire, the priority is clear: residents must follow the instructions of professionals. Nicolau insists that, although humans have the instinct to flee, it is essential to trust the technicians. Therefore, confinement in safe homes is the priority option until authorities indicate otherwise, based on technical criteria.
Public address systems and drones to alert tourists
Andratx, with a high floating population and tourists, has deployed digital and physical tools for alerts. Social media and a WhatsApp channel proved effective during a fire in December 2024. To reach foreigners in developments like the port of Andratx, the Local Police, Civil Protection, and even drones acquired by the council are used to issue warnings in several languages.
It is a management and coordination tool. The resident in the urban core does not notice that we have an emergency plan
The mayor emphasises that the plan is, above all, a tool for management and coordination. Its implementation materialises in constant preventive tasks, such as weekly checks of hydrants by volunteers, reviewing forest tracks to ensure the passage of emergency vehicles, and police surveillance to prevent pruning waste dumping.
Daily prevention and looking ahead to the August eclipse
These efforts are complemented by larger-scale actions, such as the creation of firebreaks. One has already been executed in Sa Gramola, a point considered critical, and another is scheduled around the Andratx cemetery for next winter, an area with dense vegetation.
In preparation for the upcoming solar eclipse on August 12, the municipality is already working to deploy security teams in the areas of highest crowding to prevent fire risks. "At the local level, we are aware of it and will have teams monitoring the most problematic areas in terms of crowding to prevent any possible small fires that may occur overnight," Nicolau has stated.
The PAAL, although silent for the resident in the urban core, translates into a routine of prevention aimed at avoiding another catastrophe like that of 2013. Residents in isolated homes already know that if the fire approaches, the best thing to do is to stay home and wait for instructions.
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