SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 27 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The councils of La Gomera and El Hierro announced this Tuesday that they are keeping the island emergency plans active given that the rains associated with the passage of the subtropical storm ‘Hermine’ continue.
In the case of La Gomera, some restrictions are lifted in such a way that the network of trails on the island is reopened, as well as those belonging to the Garajonay National Park and the forest trails. Hunting and hunting activity is also resumed, in accordance with the established calendar.
However, until further notice, the closure decreed on the CV-14 (El Rejo road) between the junction of the GM-1 and the access to El Cedro is maintained, so that the residents will be able to continue accessing the village from the GM-2, at the intersection of La Zarcita.
The president of the Cabildo, Casimiro Curbelo, highlighted “the exemplary behavior of citizens in this alert situation, which has allowed avoiding personal damage associated with the incidents that have been recorded, and facilitating the work of the entire emergency operation that the insular institution we have activated for this occasion”.
Likewise, Curbelo called for continued caution when driving on the island’s roads, “which still carry a certain level of risk of landslides, even though the adverse weather phenomenon has passed.”
The island leader also wanted to highlight the cooperation between all the public administrations of the island, in addition to the work of the troops that have been part of the emergency operation, made up of road personnel and the Environment Unit of the Cabildo, Garajonay National Park , EIRIF, volunteer emergency groups-Civil Protection, Anaga Emergency Aid and volunteer firefighters from Valle Gran Rey and La Gomera – and Civil Guard, in coordination with Cecopin.
In total, 150 incidents have been recorded, about thirty of them linked to landslides on the island’s road network.
The last ones, registered in the access to Puntallana, in the municipality of San Sebastián de La Gomera, which motivated its closure; on the GM-1 highway, between kilometers 16 and 17, in Hermigua, at the exit of the Parejo curve and the GM-3, in Arure, upon arrival at the tunnel towards Valle Gran Rey.
The operation of the island’s air connections with the Tenerife and Gran Canaria airports returned to normal on Monday afternoon, as did the services provided by GuaguaGomera between Valle Gran Rey and San Sebastián with the airport.
Regarding maritime connections, the shipping companies have operated normally between the Port of Los Cristianos and that of San Sebastián de La Gomera, as well as the internal maritime line.
In the case of El Hierro, the rain keeps the Road and Forestry services working hard to keep the roads and forest tracks clear, some of them closed as a preventive measure since last Saturday, a situation that will continue, at least, during the day.
In fact, heavy rainfall in the eastern part of the island on Tuesday morning has caused the closure of the La Dehesa Environmental Complex as a security measure, reports the Minister of Security and Emergencies, Montserrat Gutiérrez.
Along these lines, he reiterates to citizens the need to be cautious, especially when traveling on highways, since landslides may occur in the coming days due to rainfall.
In addition, this Tuesday the emergency support device of the Emergency Military Unit (UME), the Red Cross and the Canarian Police is scheduled to return to Tenerife at 2:00 p.m.
On the other hand, air communications with the island are still affected by this weather situation while maritime communications continue to operate normally.
