The government of Región de Murcia issued the Fase de Preemergencia of the Plan Especial de Protección Civil ante el Riesgo de Inundaciones de la Región de Murcia (Plan Inunmur) on Thursday 16 September 2026. The trigger was warnings from the state weather agency AEMET of intense rainfall and thunderstorms, with orange and yellow alert levels in parts of the region.
The pre-alert activates enhanced precautionary and coordination measures. The Dirección General de Seguridad Ciudadana y Emergencias activated monitoring and reporting procedures and placed emergency services on heightened alert. The Centro de Coordinación de Emergencias 112 is coordinating situation reports, liaising with local authorities and the Delegación del Gobierno and preparing to request additional resources if needed.
On the technical side, the focus is on checks at critical infrastructure, such as culverts, retention basins and key road sections. Monitoring of water levels in waterways such as the Segura will be more frequent, as will monitoring of soil moisture and runoff in catchment areas that can respond rapidly to heavy rain. Local authorities are being asked to secure known risk spots, such as low-lying areas, Rambla channels and underpasses, and to give early notice of closures.
The Fase de Preemergencia is a monitoring and preparedness stage of Inunmur. It does not involve a general evacuation, but allows for a rapid escalation if the situation requires it. If conditions worsen, the plan can move to higher response phases; in the event of widespread impacts, coordinated measures with national Protección Civil authorities are also envisaged.
According to the regional administration, the measure is intended as a precaution against possible flash floods, flooded roads and disruption to supplies. Agricultural land in low-lying areas and urban areas with limited drainage are considered particularly vulnerable. The operation of critical services, including energy and telecommunications networks and healthcare, is being monitored as a precaution.
The authorities refer to AEMET’s official guidance and advise people to follow short-term weather and traffic updates, avoid Rambla channels carrying water and refrain from parking in low-lying areas. Further decisions, including any increase in the response level or partial all-clear, will be made in light of rainfall and runoff conditions and announced through the usual channels.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).