Spain’s Tsunami Protection Ramped Up With New Plan

Interior Minister Grande-Marlaska in Cadiz on June 3. Image: La Mocloa

Spain has launched its first ever early warning civil protection plan for tsunamis, with Andalucia’s coastline being designated as an area of risk.

Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, presented the ‘State Plan for Civil Protection against Tsunami Risk’ in Cadiz on June 3. Cadiz was nearly destroyed by a tsunami in the 18th century.

He said the plan, which was approved on May 18, is “essential in a country with 7,660 kilometres of coast where 58 per cent of the population resides, that’s about 23 million inhabitants.”

“This plan is based on the fundamental pillar of coordination between administrations,” he added.

The plan is designed to protect coastal autonomous communities, especially those at risks of experiencing tidal waves and tsunamis, including Andalucia, the Canary Islands, Catalonia, Valencia, Galicia, the Balearic Islands, Murcia and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla.

“The risk in Spain is real and its population and tourism rate make it vulnerable to this kind of catastrophic event,” according to research conducted by the Universidad Complutense in Madrid.

In 1775 the Lisbon earthquake killed 2,214 people when a tsunami hit Cadiz and Huelva.


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Deirdre Tynan

Deirdre Tynan is an award-winning journalist who enjoys bringing the best in news reporting to Spain’s largest English-language newspaper, Euro Weekly News. She has previously worked at The Mirror, Ireland on Sunday and for news agencies, media outlets and international organisations in America, Europe and Asia. A huge fan of British politics and newspapers, Deirdre is equally fascinated by the political scene in Madrid and Sevilla. She moved to Spain in 2018 and is based in Jaen.

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