Mazón's Right-Hand Man to Pradas When She Suggests Lockdown: 'Calm Down, Mate'

One of the tensest moments in the WhatsApp conversation between former Emergency Councillor Salomé Pradas and José Manuel Cuenca, Chief of Staff to Carlos Mazón, occurred just before eight in the evening on 29 October 2024. This was when Pradas first suggested the possibility of locking down the entire province of Valencia. Mazón had just finished his meeting with Vilaplana and was half an hour away from arriving at the Cecopi.

At 19:54, Cuenca sent a message to the former councillor:

- 'Salo, no lockdown, please. Stay calm.'

At that moment, Pradas, who was at the Cecopi and already aware that the situation had spiralled out of control with all of l'Horta Sud flooded by the Poyo's waters, insisted on the need to lock down the population and conveyed this to Cuenca:

- 'Things are really, really bad.'

Mazón's Chief of Staff responded with a phrase that downplayed the tension and anxiety Pradas was expressing from l'Eliana.

- 'I know, love.'

This conversation took place as Mazón was arriving at the Palau de la Generalitat after a five-hour lunch with journalist Maribel Vilaplana at El Ventorro restaurant in Valencia. While Mazón, as he has repeatedly stated, was walking from La Paz street to the Palau de la Generalitat, Pradas and Cuenca exchanged messages that made it clear the situation was out of control.

'Flooding throughout the province,' Pradas noted in her WhatsApp, seemingly seeking authorisation from the Presidency to allow her to issue a lockdown order.

Cuenca continued to reject the idea: 'Locking down a province is madness. Zoning is another matter. But not the entire province.'

The former councillor, in just two minutes, sent a series of messages pointing out that the situation was very complicated and that measures needed to be taken: 'Very little is left out (of flooded areas). And communications affect everyone. We're on it. Advise caution to all. Lockdown affected areas. And move up (to higher floors) in several municipalities.'

Pradas pressed to convince Cuenca at 20:15, when Mazón had not yet arrived at the Cecopi: 'We can decree lockdown under the Emergency Law.' Mazón's right-hand man insisted on his refusal and asked her to drop the subject: 'Please get this out of your head. Calm down, mate.'

Pradas sent an audio message noting that the CHJ was going to declare alert level 3: 'We will advise, only in affected regions.'