The November meeting of the Costa Press Club (El Club de prensa de la Costa del Sol) took place this last Tuesday, November 4th.
The venue was the delightful La Sierra restaurant at the Cerro de Aguila golf club high in the hills above Fuengirola. The topic was "Journalists as lifesavers: communication and crisis management in emergencies."
CPC President Neil Hesketh introduces speaker Fernando Fernandez [Photo: PW]
The presentation
Our guest speaker was Fernando Fernández Alcaide, who is professor of security, emergencies and catastrophes at the Universidad de Málaga.
Fernando is also the spokesperson for VOST (Digital Volunteers in Emergencies) in Andalucia and is a member of the National Emergency Communication Committee of the National Association of Professional Specialists in Emergencies and Civil Proteccion (ANEPPCE).
[Photo: Paul Whitelock]
With the help of hundreds of slides and short videos Fernando really opened our eyes to how lacking the authorities are when it comes to dealing with disasters.
Some of the disasters he focused on included:
Chernobyl in 1986, Valencia in 2024, the train crash in Galicia in 2013, ébola, the danas of 2024, el apagón of earlier this year.
Chernobyl 1986 [EL PAIS] Santiago derailment 2013 [The Guardian] Aftermath of flooding, Valencia 2024 [The Guardian]
He was very critical of the standard reaction of the authorities to disasters.
It was a very challenging and thought-provoking presentation. Fernando is of the view that the Press and Media have a key role to play in getting the right information out there as quickly as possible and in contributing to crisis management.
All areas need a rapid response protocol for emergencies such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes and forest fires, although he pointed out, to much laughter, that a tsunami plan for mountain areas would be a waste of time!
Several members contributed to the Q & A session, including one member who highlighted the rapid reaction of firefighters in attending an incident near Ronda the day before, because THEY HAD AN EMERGENCY PLAN in place. No-one was hurt and no buildings nor vehicles were damaged as a result.
[Above photos by Paul Whitelock]
Dinner time
We had all pre-selected our three courses. I started with prawns in filo pastry, followed by filetes de dorada and ending with Apfelstrudel. The wine was included, but I drank very little (too busy talking!).
The 21 members and guests enjoyed the evening and the chit-chat over dinner.
It was all over by 10.00 pm, so we headed off home.
Or, in my case, to my hotel in Fuengirola, the delightful three-star Hotel Agur, where I had a double room with balcony, private bathroom, TV and free WiFi for a mere 45,54€.
The secure car park cost 15€ for 24 hours.
Hotel Agur [Photo: Trivago]
Footnote:
I try to do these Press nights in as eco-friendly a manner as possible, by taking public transport (bus and train), finding cheap accommodation and walking a lot.
On this occasion, the bus would not have worked to get to Fuengirola.
Yet my room was more economical than my last "cheap hotel" in Málaga, and much better, in every respect.
The most costly item, relatively speaking, was my nightcap, a half litre of Paulaner Wheat beer, which cost an eye-watering 6.50€.
My room at the Hotel Agur [Paul Whitelock]
The next morning I opted for the hotel's buffet breakfast at 9.50€. An absolute "snip" for the choice and for the amount I managed to consume! I needed no lunch!
The splendid breakfast buffet at Hotel Agur in Fuengirola
Fruit and juice to start Bacon, egg and baked beans Cheese, salchichon, shredded veg "pain au chocolat"
[All breakfast photos by Paul Whitelock]
Links:
BREAKING NEWS - DANA – Who or what is it?
Costa del Sol Foreign Journalists Association | Costa Press Club
fernando.comunica@gmail.com
uma.es
www.help-me-ronda.com
www.secretserrania.com
© Pablo de Ronda (Paul Whitelock)
Photos:
commememucho, EL PAIS, eurodrop, Karl Smallman, Paul Whitelock, The Guardian, Trivago
Thanks:
Fernando Fernández Alcaide, Karl Smallman, La Sierra restaurant, Neil Hesketh, Paul Whitelock
Tags:
Andalucia, apagon, ANEPPCE, Cerro de Aguila golf club, Chernobyl, Club de prensa de la Costa del Sol, Costa Press Club, crisis management, dana, Digital Volunteers in Emergencies, ébola, EL PAIS, Fernando Fernandez Alcaide, Fuengirola, "Journalists as lifesavers", Karl Smallman, La Sierra restaurant, National Emergency Communication Committee of the National Association of Professional Specialists in Emergencies and Civil Proteccion, Neil Hesketh, Paul Whitelock, The Guardian, train crash in Galicia in 2003, Trivago, Universidad de Malaga, Valencia, VOST
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