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As a serious precaution Palma city council has taken measures to protect the population ahead of the storm which battered Valencia moving towards Mallorca. “We are going to take the measure of closing the cemeteries from 14.00 hours this Friday until next Monday. We ask that this celebration be held next week and we will set up a special timetable from 8 am to 9 pm from Monday to Sunday so that it can be held safely·, said Javier Bonet, Palma’s first deputy mayor, on this afternoon.
Also, from 2:00 pm the parks and gardens in the Passeig Sagrera, Bosque de Bellver, Son Tarres park (Son Parera) and Ses Vies park will be closed. Bonet has also announced that the council will evacuate all homeless people from settlements near torrents or flood zones and offer them a place to stay while the alarm remains active. The council’s first deputy mayor; Eder García, head of the Palma Fire Brigade; Guiem Mascaró, head of the Palma Local Police and Miquel Busquets, councillor for Security, gave a press conference after taking part in the City Council’s Civil Protection commission to assess the preventive measures related to the adverse weather conditions forecast for November 1.
Bonet has also asked the public to avoid unnecessary journeys in order to minimise risks and to try to avoid, as far as possible, travelling through streets with a lot of trees. The council has also increased the number of firefighters, local police, Civil Protection and 20 Emaya (municipal cleaning, sewage etc.) brigades.
Bonet said: “we are not on red alert, but it is essential to warn the population to avoid greater risks”. He has also asked the public not to leave their homes if it is not necessary and to take into account the necessary guidelines to protect themselves, such as closing doors and windows, staying in the upper areas of the house and avoiding low areas such as storerooms, basements or garages.
These are the measures that will be activated from Friday:
- As of Friday at 14:00 hours, all cemeteries in Palma will be closed until next Monday. The special timetable planned for All Saints’ Day, that is, from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm, will be reactivated once the cemeteries are open again, and will be in force for the whole week. The municipal gardens and parks will also be closed, such as those in the Passeig Sagrera area, Bosque de Bellver, Son Tarres park (Son Parera) and Ses Vies park.
- In the flood-prone areas of Palma (Son Rossinyol, Sa Riera and Torrent des Rafal area), there will be Local Police and Social Services units to try to persuade residents to leave the area and take refuge in a safe place.
- Local police and firefighters will be on hand to monitor flood-sensitive areas, such as tunnels and torrents. Both forces will also be reinforcing their weekend staff to be able to respond better to possible catastrophes.