The Balearic Islands have activated their special emergency plan ahead of the total solar eclipse scheduled for this Wednesday, August 12, and have already deployed the first teams to ensure safety at various points in the archipelago. On Tuesday morning, authorities established the Integrated Operational Coordination Center (Cecopi), which represents all government agencies, to activate the ‘Eclipbal’ Plan at operational level one.
Pablo Gárriz, the regional government’s Director General of Emergency and Interior, explained that this marks the beginning of an operation involving thousands of members of the various police forces and emergency services. “We already have both routine and emergency resources deployed on the ground, including the local police, the Civil Guard, the National Police, Civil Protection, and environmental agents,” he said in statements to the media.
He stressed that part of the operation is already monitoring the area “to prevent premature gatherings in unauthorized areas or vehicles parked in these areas, which will be subject to restrictions tomorrow.” “We are already on high alert, with all operational plans underway and coordinated,” he emphasized. Including the various law enforcement agencies and emergency services, as well as reinforcements from the healthcare and port sectors, among many others, thousands of people are involved in the operation.
Of special note is the deployment of certain extraordinary resources, such as the Military Emergency Unit (UME) and the General Command of the Balearic Islands, which since this Tuesday have been carrying out surveillance and prevention tasks in the forested areas of the Serra de Tramuntana. Agents from virtually all units of the National Police and the Civil Guard will also be on the ground, including reinforcements from the mainland, as well as personnel from the Maritime Rescue Service.
The entire operation will be coordinated from the 112 Emergency Coordination Center, located in Marratxí, but will have forward command posts in Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera.
Uncertainty about the movements
Gárriz has acknowledged that there is a certain degree of “uncertainty” among the authorities, since it is difficult to know “where people will travel or how many people will be able to travel.” “We know what the usual level of traffic congestion on the roads is, but we don’t know what people’s plans are. That’s why we have issued a message emphasizing planning and caution, so that citizens can check before they leave if there are restrictions in the areas they are traveling to that could prevent them from moving around normally,” he said.
With this objective, he emphasized, the regional government has designated 26 official observation zones spread across different parts of the archipelago where the public will be able to observe the eclipse “with guaranteed safety, access, and evacuation.” “Undoubtedly, there are places that have a special appeal and, therefore, we understand they will be a draw for people to try to go to. It is also true that some of these places present a series of risks, such as the risk of fire, and that is why we will impose restrictions,” explained the Director General of Emergency Services.
In no case, he emphasized, are these areas recommended by the authorities as places to go to see the eclipse, since the advice is to avoid unnecessary travel.