With an emergency bag — and a calm mindHow Torrevieja experienced its largest earthquake and tsunami drill

On Wednesday morning thousands of residents in Torrevieja were startled when their mobile phones suddenly emitted a loud alarm. The message warned about a possible earthquake and tsunami risk.

Fortunately, it was not a real disaster but a large civil protection drill carried out in the city.

Local authorities had warned residents more than a week in advance through official websites, social networks and local media.

Nevertheless, the alert surprised many people.

For this report the editorial team of Torreviejactual.com reviewed around five hundred comments posted by residents in Torrevieja Facebook groups. The analysis does not claim to be a precise sociological survey, but it offers a good picture of how people reacted.

According to the scenario, a powerful earthquake caused damage and numerous casualties.

During the exercise:

— up to 20,000 people were evacuated across different areas of the city;

— a collapsed building with dozens of victims was simulated;

— rescue dogs, helicopters, drones and specialised emergency equipment were used.

Residents could see fire trucks, ambulances, police vehicles and rescue teams working in several locations.

At the same time the ES-Alert system was tested, sending emergency notifications directly to mobile phones.

Many residents admitted the alarm was startling.

“My phone screamed and I thought it was a real earthquake.” “Everyone in the café jumped when all the phones started ringing.” “When I saw the word tsunami I was genuinely scared.”

Others supported the drill.

About 40 % of the analysed comments were positive.

“Better to practice now than panic during a real emergency.” “It’s good to see the alert system actually working.” “We live by the sea. These exercises are important.”

Experts remind residents that in a real disaster the situation would be far more complex.

There might not be enough fire engines, ambulances or police units. Roads could become blocked with traffic.

In such situations, personal behaviour becomes crucial.

Experience shows that the people most likely to cope well are those who remain calm and have thought ahead.

For this reason residents are advised to keep an emergency bag at home with documents, cash, water, a flashlight, a first-aid kit, phone chargers or power banks and some food supplies.

But the most important preparation is not the bag.

It is a calm mind.

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