Flood early warning and emergency management system

Following the overflow of the Poyo Ravine in October 2024, caused by an isolated high-altitude depression, the municipality of Catarroja suffered severe flooding that affected urban infrastructure, basic supplies, and communication routes. Faced with the extent of material and human damage, the local administration identified the operational need to establish a system capable of anticipating rising water levels and immediately coordinating protective actions to minimize future risks.

Implementation of the centralized monitoring platform
To resolve these operational deficiencies, an integrated project based on the unified management platform from technology provider Hikvision was deployed. The system architecture is built around a control center located in the municipal crisis room, where all video signals, level sensors, and communication systems converge. This centralization provides operators with a complete overview of the municipality's status and ensures data redundancy to maintain operability during supply outages.

Automation of alerts and access control
The technical deployment includes specific cameras installed in the riverbed that continuously measure the water level. Upon detecting a risk increase, the software generates automatic alerts on the control panel. Simultaneously, context cameras distributed throughout the urban center identify dangerous situations, supported by search algorithms to locate people in risk zones. The automated response is executed through 64 public address speakers that issue immediate warnings and automatic physical barriers that block vehicle and pedestrian traffic in vulnerable areas. The security perimeter is completed by integrating alarms and access controls in public buildings.

"The centralization of information flows into a single operational platform allows the situation to be managed efficiently, reducing the margin of error and increasing the speed of response when activating physical barriers and emergency acoustic warnings," explains José Luis Macías, the project integrator.

Operational results and reduced response times
Integrating these devices within a unified ecosystem optimizes the reaction capacity of the control center. The automation of road closure protocols and the early issuance of warnings to the population reduce reliance on manual interventions during the critical first minutes of an emergency. This technological infrastructure provides the municipal administration with an active prevention tool that strengthens the resilience of the urban environment against adverse weather conditions.

Edited by Maria Brueva, Induportals editor – adapted by AI.

www.hikvision.com