Floods and Emergency Management: Elaboration of Integral Flood Maps Based on Emergency Calls (112)—Episode of September 2019 (Vega Baja del Segura, Alicante, Spain)

Abstract

Emergency mapping makes it possible to manage an emergency situation and even to analyze the catastrophic event, a posteriori, in order to improve action protocols for Civil Protection. The emergency maps are produced from the analysis of calls to the Emergency Coordination Centre (911 or 112). Thus, the concept of integral risk mapping arises, in which risk mapping and aspects that allow for more realistic analysis and mapping through the analysis of emergency calls in the event of a natural event converge. In this case, the analysis is focused on the floods that occurred from 12 to 15 September 2019 in the Vega Baja del Segura district (Alicante, Spain). The results obtained show that this is the flooding episode with the highest number of emergency calls in Valencian region and Vega Baja del Segura district (2010–2022). Likewise, the spatial-temporal analysis of the geolocation of the calls and their reasons, have allowed us to draw up a much more detailed map of flooding or affected areas in 2019 than the official maps. In conclusion, the analysis of emergency calls makes it possible to identify problems and vulnerable areas where proposals can be made to reduce the impact of floods and increase the resilience of a territory. At the same time, it is presented as a novel field of research for the analysis of natural and anthropic risks.