The mayor of Teguise, Olivia Duque, spoke on Monday morning on the morning show Buenos días, Lanzarote of Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero to explain how the damage caused by the passage of the storm Olivier in the municipality is evolving. Mainly, in Tahíche and Costa Teguise.
The municipal president highlighted that "the worst" was that the rain "caught them by surprise". "There was nothing organized, nothing prepared. We had to act quickly to be able to close roads. It was chaotic, but the truth is that thanks to many people who collaborated, all the volunteers, the technicians, the Local Police, the Civil Guard who also got involved, we more or less redirected the situation," she continued.
The mayor acknowledged that "a personal misfortune did not happen, thanks to the speed of the directors and the people". In this sense, she highlighted that in the HD hotel the water "entered from behind and exited through the reception, breaking doors and the truth is that they were shocking images".
Likewise, on whether the town activated the Municipal Emergency Plan, Duque defended that "Teguise does not have a PEMU" because "it has no obligation". "We are developing it through the Government of the Canary Islands, but we are guided by the Island Emergency Plan of Lanzarote (PEIN)," she insisted. In contrast, the island emergency plan was not activated until 4:15 p.m.
Duque assured that "the main problem was the ravines", especially the Hurón ravine and the road that connects Tahíche with Costa Teguise. In this sense, the flooding and incidents suffered by one of the most touristy areas of the island were added to the closure of access to the town due to the rain. "We had to act quickly to close roads, which means that the residents were also caught by surprise," she pointed out during her intervention.
For tourists who had to leave the town to catch a flight, it was also a chaos. "Taxis could not access either because Avenida del Golfo and Avenida de Las Palmeras had to close, the only access that existed at a certain moment was through the northern route," adds Duque. The mayor points out that the hotels "reacted very well" and that "the directors rented buses to take the tourists out, even if it was earlier than planned, so that they could get to the airport".
Finally, on the possibility of declaring a catastrophic zone, the mayor of Teguise leaves the decision in the hands of the technicians, while defending that "with the emergency decree of the Cabildo it is sufficient and gives us the umbrella to be able to rehabilitate".