Torrevieja City Council has approved a 114,950-euro tender to draft a new municipal emergency plan, including a specific plan for earthquake risk. The decision comes two months after a large-scale earthquake drill was held in March, despite the town not having a validated local seismic plan in place.

The councillor for Emergencies and Security, Federico Alarcón, confirmed that a study commissioned in 2022 was rejected by the Valencian regional government for being insufficient. That earlier contract, awarded for 18,029 euros with a three-month drafting period, was never approved and has not come into force.

The new territorial emergency plan will also cover other risks, including forest fires and large public gatherings, and is expected to take nine months to complete. The Valencian regional earthquake emergency plan, approved in 2011, identifies Torrevieja and nearby towns as facing the highest seismic risk in the region.

Historical records show that the 21 March 1829 earthquake killed nearly 400 people in the Vega Baja area. Experts warn that earthquakes of up to magnitude 6.5 could occur in Torrevieja within a 100-year return period, underlining the need for a comprehensive local response plan.