One of Spain’s largest-ever tsunami simulations is set to take place on the coast of Andalucia this week.
Cadiz city and each of the province’s coastal towns will take part in the drill on Thursday, November 20.
The exercise, called ‘Respuest@_25’, will test how emergency services, public bodies and the population respond to a scenario similar to the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.
As part of the drill, an imagined 7.6 quake will ‘strike’ south-west of Cape St Vincent, triggering a tsunami warning along the Andalucian coast.
Although Cadiz is the central focus, towns including Chipiona, Sanlucar, Rota, Conil, Los Barrios, Puerto Real and La Línea will also activate their local emergency plans.
Public buildings, schools and participating companies will take part in the coordinated drill.
Mobile alert at 10:03 – do not call 112
At 10:03am, all mobile phones in Cadiz’s coastal areas will receive a loud emergency alert through ES-Alert, displaying the message: ‘Alerta Protección Civil – Simulacro.’
The alert will continue repeating until the user taps ‘accept’. Residents are urged not to call 112, reply to the message or panic. People in nearby inland areas may also receive it.
Alongside the mobile notification, the city will activate loudspeaker systems and church bells to simulate real-life warning signals.
Authorities will also test:
- Cultural heritage protection protocols at the Museum of Cadiz
- The PEMEA system, enabling emergency contact via chat for people with hearing impairments
- Communications via the Junta’s REJA emergency network and coordination between command posts and 112
What schools will do
In Cadiz city, 2,539 students will take part in organised evacuations.
Students heading towards Plaza San Antonio: CEIP Santa Teresa, Josefina Pascual, La Salle–La Viña, San Rafael, IES La Caleta and CDP Juan Pablo II–María Milagrosa.
Students heading towards Plaza de Mina: IES Cornelio Balbo, CEIP José Celestino Mutis and CDP Nuestra Señora del Carmen.
Other schools across the province have notified families via iPasen and will follow their specific evacuation plans.
Six major action zones in Cadiz
The simulation includes several real-life rescue and evacuation scenarios:
- Plaza San Antonio & Plaza de Mina: Evacuations from hotels, care homes, public buildings and schools
- Museum of Cadiz: Safeguarding cultural assets
- Santa María del Mar beach: Warnings to surfers, sea rescues and forensic procedures
- Zona Franca: Evacuation of businesses; more than 1,000 workers involved
- Port of Cadiz: Rescue operations for port companies
- Port of El Puerto de Santa Maria: The UME (Military Emergency Unit) will conduct search-and-rescue drills
During Thursday’s large-scale drill, traffic will be heavily affected across Cadiz. Many streets within the old town will be closed to vehicles for the duration of the exercise, although the perimeter ring road around the historic centre will remain open.
The main disruptions will begin at around 10am and are expected to continue until approximately 11am, though police may adjust timings depending on how the drill unfolds.
Despite the closures, city bus routes will operate normally. Local police officers will be stationed throughout the area to manage traffic flow and guide drivers and pedestrians safely as the simulation progresses.
