Before, during and after the Dana of September 2019 in the region of Murcia (Spain), as reported in the written press

Abstract

In September 2019 a DANA affected the Southeast of Spain with a special impact on the Segura Basin and the Region of Murcia. Heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding, very serious damage and generally affected the whole population. The main objective of this work was to analyse this episode through a follow-up of all the news published in two regional newspapers, La Verdad and La Opinión. To this end, a methodological proposal was made to classify the news according to: the typology of the subject, the relevance of the DANA in terms of frequency and how the news developed. A total of 816 news articles covering 52 days were studied and grouped into 26 subjects. The issues that aroused most interest, were those relating to the solidarity offered and aid provided to those affected, the effects on the Mar Menor (a nearby coastal lagoon); visits by politicians, personalities and their statements; solutions and mitigation measures; evacuations, rescues and displacements. The database analysed allowed us to organise the information into different aspects and in sequence: (i) prevention tasks and warnings prior to the materialisation of a risk situation; (ii) rescues, relief and assistance to persons, and (iii) response, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

Keywords

• dana, cold drop, floods, written press, south-eastern spain