From 14 to 16 October 2026, the Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País de San Cristóbal de La Laguna is hosting a scientific conference on the event El Aluvión de 1826 . Co-organisers include the Instituto Canario de Desarrollo Cultural and the Asociación por la Memoria del Aluvión de 1826. The event is open to the public and focuses on the historical reconstruction of the 1826 storm and the lessons it offers for forecasting, prevention and integrated emergency management in the Canary Islands.
The programme begins at 17:00 on all three days. The opening session on Wednesday 14 October features the opening ceremony and two expert talks: historian Pedro C. Quintana Andrés will set the scene of Canarian society in the early 19th century. Pablo Mayer Suárez, from the Department of Geography at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, will then analyse rainfall and flooding from a geographical perspective and examine their spatial distribution across the archipelago.
On Thursday 15 October, David Suárez Molina, delegate of the Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (AEMET) in the Canary Islands, will discuss the characteristics and development of extreme weather events, drawing on meteorological diagnosis and forecasting practice. This will be followed by a joint presentation, De 1826 a 2026. De un desastre sin alertas a la gestión integral de las emergencias, by Montserrat Román Casamartina, head of the Servicio de Protección Civil y Atención de Emergencias, and Moisés Sánchez Arrocha, director of 112 Canarias. Together, they will trace the shift from the lack of warning infrastructure in the 19th century to today’s systems for risk prevention and integrated incident management.
On Friday 16 October, the programme opens with a screening of the documentary El Aluvión de 1826. A moderated discussion afterwards will address the culture of remembrance, prevention strategies and the challenges that future climate scenarios pose for island regions. The organisers say that bringing together historical analysis, meteorological research, geography and civil protection should provide practical starting points for risk assessment, spatial planning and the further development of alert chains.
The storm on the night of 7–8 November 1826 is regarded as one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the Canary Islands. Contemporary and later accounts report a high death toll and the destruction of numerous buildings. The conference is part of the bicentenary programme and aims to draw reliable insights from the historical case for today’s decision-making. The programme announcement makes no mention of new financial commitments or specific additional measures.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).