Controversy over emergency alert management in Catalonia

The Government defends the ES-Alert system amid criticism over economic paralysis and labor confusion.

Archive image of a Barcelona street with wind and moving tree branches.
IA

Archive image of a Barcelona street with wind and moving tree branches.

The management of the emergency caused by strong winds in Barcelona has sparked a debate on the effectiveness of the ES-Alert system and the labor consequences of halting activity.

Minister Sílvia Paneque defended the preventive measures taken on February 13. The controversy follows the death of a woman in Barcelona after a roof collapsed due to severe wind gusts.

"Prevention against the gale could not be delimited by regions, given the typology of the phenomenon."

Sílvia Paneque · Minister of Territory
Legal experts like Pau Estévez point out that companies must ensure worker safety, yet many employees felt pressured to commute despite the official emergency warnings.