Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 20^th July 2022

 

Good morning – It did not require a crystal ball to determine that we would have major fires in the country during the last two weeks.

All the signs were there, all the data was there, all the conditions were there, but was everyone prepared? Were we “Fire Wise”?

Each day throughout the year Safe Communities Portugal monitors all the information that is available to us, including the fire risks and the Rural Fire Hazard (FWI), to determine the risk of a fire starting and if so its possible intensity. We can see this from the IPMA charts and is published on our Facebook page each day.

It was clear from this before the recent fires started, that the metrological conditions were becoming extreme. This  showed that not only was the risk of fires igniting very likely, but they could be greater in intensity, to a point that should a fire get hold, it could become a severe fire and difficult to contain. This could lead to fires being active over a period of several days and depending on the wind speed and direction, spreading over large areas – which happened.

“I was in no doubt, even without the words of the Minister of International Administration, that we were about to experience conditions similar to that in 2017, when there were the catastrophic fires, firstly in Pedrógão Grande and later in the centre of the mainland. In fact all the major fires in 2003, 2017, the Monchique fire of 2018, and Castro Marim in 2021, were when the rural fire hazard was at maximum. We know this as a fact, because Safe Communities was monitoring the fires closely at the time and reported on our Facebook the conditions beforehand, as well as situation reports of developments during the fires themselves”

98% of fires are human error so there is much we can do. Most important is that we take every action to avoid starting a fire in the first place, “we have to be extra careful” and avoid for instance using power tools on the garden, not smoking in areas where this could burn vegetation. Look around your garden for any debris such as glass bottles that could cause a fire. Do not park a vehicle in long grass. Monitor the fire risk daily, ensure that you are aware of actions to take should a fire approach you, and for those in high risk areas, have a plan including an emergency kit close by in case of evacuations, calling 112 immediately if you discover a fire, are some of the steps.

We live in a hot country and it will get hotter, with likely more fires with greater intensity. We all need to be FIREWISE, have greater awareness of the risks, greater level of preparedness and greater knowledge of what action to take in the event of a fire.

Sad news is that Portugal recorded and between July 7 and 18, 1,063 deaths, attributed to the extreme temperatures that have occurred on the mainland the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) announced today. With these high temperature keeping hydrated is vitally important as we have stressed in our posts regularly. We recommend to follow the advice from DGS.

With that please have a good day

News

Over 1000 deaths attributed to extreme temperatures

Lisbon, July 19, 2022 (Lusa) – Portugal recorded an excess of mortality between July 7 and 18, corresponding to 1,063 deaths, attributed to the extreme temperatures that have occurred on the continent in recent days, announced today the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) .

“Between the 7th and 18th of July 2022, inclusive, excess mortality was observed in Portugal (mainland and islands), corresponding to a total of 1,063 deaths”, the health authority advanced in a statement, noting that these values ​​are provisional and are being updated.

The DGS also recalled that since July 6, there have been very high air temperature, with a red warning of hot weather, the highest on the scale, having been issued for most districts in mainland Portugal.

“Extreme air temperatures, such as those seen in recent days (maximum and minimum), have a known potential impact on health, as a consequence of dehydration or decompensation of chronic diseases, among other factors”, warned the DGS. , who recalled that high air temperatures are generally associated with periods of higher mortality than expected for the time of year.

According to the DGS, the current data available on weather forecasts point to a drop in temperature, more accentuated at maximum temperature.

“The sentinel indicator of the predicted effect of high air temperatures on mortality – the ÍCARO Index calculated by the Ricardo Jorge Institute (INSA) – could reach a maximum value of 0.11 on July 21, 2022, in mainland Portugal, translating a non-significant effect on mortality”, advanced the DGS, which activated the operative group of its Contingency Plan on July 5, with regional and local responses also being activated.

 

First 17 days of July were the hottest of this century

The first 17 days of July were the hottest of this century with an average air temperature of 25.7 degrees centigrade, revealed the Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (IPMA).

In a comparison with homologous periods, the IPMA concluded that the period from 1 to 17 July of this year was the warmest since 2000, followed by the years 2013, 2003, 2020, 2016 and 2010.

The IPMA highlights the 13th and 14th, when the 13th was the hottest of 2022 and the fifth hottest day of the last 23 years in mainland Portugal with an average maximum air temperature of 40 degrees centigrade.

In turn, July 14 was the second hottest day of 2022 and the seventh hottest since 2000 with an average maximum air temperature of 38.4 degrees centigrade.

Since 2000, the hottest days in mainland Portugal have been August 4, 2018, August 2, 2003, and August 3 and 5, 2018.

The IPMA also highlights that, between the 1st and 17th of July of this year, the highest value of the maximum air temperature, 47°C, occurred at the Pinhão station and constitutes a new extreme in mainland Portugal for the month of July.

According to the IPMA, during that period the previous highest values ​​of maximum air temperature were exceeded in 84 stations and in 28 stations the values ​​of maximum air temperature recorded are absolute extremes for those stations.

 

Traffic cut on Vasco da Gama Bridge at dawn on Friday

Road traffic on the Vasco da Gama Bridge, which connects Lisbon and Alcochete, in the district of Setúbal, will be completely closed to traffic at dawn on Friday, between 00:00 and 06:00, Lusoponte announced today.

According to information from the company that manages the bridge, the closure is due to the need for topographic checks, within the scope of the works currently taking place on the infrastructure.

As an alternative, Lusoponte suggests using the 25 de Abril Bridge, complying with the restrictions imposed on this crossing with regard to the transport of dangerous materials, which are only allowed between 02:00 and 05:00.

In April, the company announced the reduction of the width of the lanes until the beginning of November, due to the execution of works, although with the maintenance of the six circulation lanes.

The “changes in the road configuration” were considered necessary for the replacement of “four risers in the main zone”.

The works, then indicated the company, arose following an accident with a bus that completely burned on the bridge deck in June 2021, which “caused only material damage to the protection of four risers”.