The Azores Situation Report Wednesday 18th October 2023
Captaincy and Navy try to identify object found on Vila Franca islet
Navy divers, supported by the Port Authority of Ponta Delgada, are trying to identify an object that was discovered near the islet of Vila Franca do Campo, Azores, and which could be a mine, it was revealed today.
“We heard about this find, a ferrous object of some size and spherical shape, early yesterday afternoon [Monday]. As a precaution, as it could be a mine, it is necessary to check what type of object we are talking about. It could just be a very old mooring buoy”,
As a precaution, he stressed, the area around the islet of Vila Franca do Campo was closed, which is prohibited from “any activity or navigation”.
Captain Rafael da Silva detailed that the object was found on Monday morning by recreational divers, but sea conditions did not allow the identification process to begin that day.
“At this moment we are finally able to dive to evaluate and recognize the object. (…) We are fortunate to have the support of the Portuguese Navy, with two divers specialized in this type of matter who serve in command of the Azores Maritime Zone”, he stressed.
The divers are being supported by the military, Captaincy vessels and the Maritime Police.
Rafael da Silva did not want to comment on the antiquity of the object and considered it “untimely” at this point to put forward a date for the end of the process.
If the existence of a mine is confirmed, the captain of the Port of Ponta Delgada highlighted that the deactivation of the device will be carried out by a detachment of Navy divers specializing in explosives.
Civil Protection records 18 incidents on six islands in the Azores
The Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service of the Azores recorded, from last Sunday until Monday morning, 18 incidents on six islands in the archipelago.
According to a statement from the SRPCBA, following the adverse weather conditions that caused a worsening of the weather in the archipelago, 18 incidents were recorded in total, eight incidents on the island of Terceira, three in São Miguel, two in Pico, two in Santa Maria, two in Faial and one in São Jorge.
The situations reported correspond to falling trees, falling structures, damage to infrastructure, landslides and flooding of a house.
There was not any record of people being hurt or injured.
The following entities have been present at the locations to support and resolve the various situations: Firefighters, Regional Directorate of Public Works and Municipal Civil Protection Services, under the coordination of SRPCBA.
Ponta Delgada with action to reduce the number of homeless people.
The local authority announces increased support for the population at risk of social exclusion, following reports of several cases in the city. Action is being coordinated with IPSS and the Institute of Solidarity and Social Security
After reporting several cases of homeless people spending the night in various parts of the city, the municipality decided to reinforce support for the population at risk of social exclusion. Thus, together with the entities, a solution will be identified that promotes a new start in life with more dignity and social appreciation for each homeless person.
“The strategy defined by Ponta Delgada City Council, in conjunction with the entities involved, aims to ensure that no one must remain on the street due to the lack of alternatives, the existing responses in the municipality are being expanded, through work in cooperation with all institutions that intervene with this phenomenon, to respond to the new challenges presented by the population at risk of exclusion and promote social cohesion in the municipality of Ponta Delgada”, reads the statement.
This intervention is part of the municipality’s set of actions to address this issue. Recently, it signed a protocol with the Novo Dia Association to finance the “Fora de Horas” project, which aims to involve a street team, during the night, to work directly with homeless people in the city of Ponta Delgada.
According to the study “À Margem – trajectories of street life, presented in 2022 and carried out by the Novo Dia association, the Azores have the highest rate of homeless people in the country, with two homeless people for every thousand inhabitants . Of the 493 flagged on December 31, 2020, 373 were from the island of São Miguel. The municipality of Ponta Delgada had 70% of all homeless people in the Azores