The University of Valencia (UV) sent a press release to all its students on Monday afternoon announcing the suspension of classes due to heavy rain forecast. On Tuesday morning, it was agreed to suspend all teaching, administrative, research and cultural activities on all university campuses and facilities. The notice, which decrees emergency level 3, reached the entire campus network at 12:00 p.m.: 50,000 students, 3,000 technical staff, administration and support services employees and more than 5,000 teachers .
The UV has its own emergency committee, coordinated with regional services and its own alert system which has five levels: from zero, which corresponds to normality, to four, which includes the immediate evacuation of facilities . The adoption of the levels is closely linked to the emergency system of the Generalitat, as well as to AEMET notices and municipal alerts in each municipality where campuses are located, sources from the rectorate explain to elDiario.es. In this way, there can be a different alert level for each campus depending on the circumstances of the territory in which it is located, they say.
The committee was created five years ago on the proposal of the rector, Maria Vicenta Mestre, and is made up of a multidisciplinary team: services essential to the operation and security of the university and to risk prevention, responsible for teaching, faculty and management. staff. It was created thinking about rainy emergencies, which are those that have the greatest impact in the Valencian Community. Decisions are based on the weather, the condition of the road network and transportation systems, and the university’s infrastructure. “The team and the criteria are broad,” underline these sources.
On Monday, the commission declared in advance level 2 – suspension of educational activities – and “when we saw the red alerts and assessed the possible risks for mobility, we took the decision to suspend all activities”, it is that is, to declare level 3. “It was a very thoughtful and considered decision,” say university sources, who recall that the suspension affects the disparity in research and laboratories. The principle of action, they say, is the analysis of the situation and the assessment of risks with principles of caution and personal safety. “These are decisions that cannot be taken lightly,” explains the management of the University, which always acts one day in advance. Advice to students and the entire university system was essential.
