Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 26th March 2025
by Mike Evans
Welcome to this week’s Algarve Report where we try to give you information on what Safety and Security issues have happened across the region in the past week. The big talking point this week is the decision of the government to discuss the level at which people will be allowed to drink and drive safely. As part of a public consultation the level of alcohol allowed in a driver’s bloodstream is to be reduced from 0.5 grams per litre to 0.2.
Driving under the influence of alcohol, speeding and non-use of seat belts are three major causes of casualties on Portuguese roads, so the GNR urges all drivers to practice safe driving, prudent and alcohol free. More recent data indicates that the consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol are so serious that one in three drivers killed in road accidents driving with an illegal blood alcohol rate.
Whilst we see regular campaigns by the authorities to combat the drink driving issue the number of people caught with a higher reading that is allowed continues to increase so it is obvious that this is not a deterrent to those who feel it is their right to drink while under the influence of alcohol.
Now a look at what else has been happening over the past week across the region.
Algarve Fruit Growers Reeling from too Much Rain
With so much delight in the news that the Algarve now has enough water stored in its dams to keep supplies going for the next three years, the reality is that the quantity of rainfall in recent weeks has taken its toll on agriculture, particularly when it comes to the region’s signature citrus orchards.
According to reports, 20% – 30% of production has been compromised. It hasn’t just been because of the rain, the wind also caused major issues. Hopefully this will be a short term issue with better conditions coming up in the next few months which should allow the trees to recover and give a good crop in the next year’s cycle.
Dozens of Portuguese Man of War washed up on Algarve Beaches
A warning to anyone walking along the beaches after all the rain and storms. Dozens of Portuguese Man of War, capable of causing serious skin burns, have been sighted on Portuguese beaches, including Terra Estreita, in Tavira , the responsible authorities warned on Thursday. The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere ( IPMA ) has published an alert for the sighting in recent days of Physalia physalis (nicknamed the Portuguese Man of War due to its shape) on Portuguese beaches “in unusual numbers”, in some cases more than 50 on a single beach.
Among the species of this type that frequently occur in Portugal, the Portuguese Man of War “is the one that requires the most caution”, as it is “very stinging” and “capable of causing serious burns” to the skin, adds that organization. The Portuguese Man of War is often seen along the Portuguese coast, influenced by winds and surface currents. It has a blue, sometimes lilac and pink, balloon-shaped float with tentacles that can reach over 30 metres in length. The purpose of these hanging tentacles is to catch fish for food. The IPMA stresses that “it is important not to touch” these specimens, “even when they appear to be dead on the beach”, as often happens with jellyfish, which despite their similar appearance do not belong to the same family.
The IPMA’s GelAvista program reminds us of the precautions to be taken in case of inadvertent contact with a Portuguese Man of War, such as “cleaning the affected area thoroughly with sea water and removing any pieces of tentacles that may have remained stuck to the skin, using tweezers”. Apply vinegar and warm compresses.
Anyone who is affected can apply vinegar and hot compresses and avoid using alcohol and freshwater, warns the IPMA, warning that “in the case of extensive burns, a health professional should be sought”.
Developing its activity since 2016, GelAvista (gelavista.ipma.pt) has been inviting citizens to participate in the monitoring of gelatinous organisms in Portugal, highlighting that, therefore, any occurrence of this or other species of gelatinous organisms can be communicated to the program.
Information about each sighting (date, location, number of organisms and photograph with object serving as a scale) should be sent to the email plancton@ipma.pt , or through the GelAvista application available for all mobile devices, appeals IPMA.
The Portuguese Man of War is not a jellyfish, but a colony of organisms from the hydrozoa class, with genetically different and highly specialized individuals, but which appear to be a single animal. Be Careful out there!
Bad Weather Leaves Vessels Adrift across the Region
Last Thursday, the 20th, the National Maritime Authority ( AMN ) registered eight incidents involving vessels near the coast in the region, with no casualties reported, due to the bad weather caused by depression Martinho.
In a statement, AMN takes stock of the incidents recorded, warning of a “considerable worsening of weather conditions and rough seas north of Portugal in the coming hours” and reinforcing the call for the adoption of safety measures.
In the jurisdiction of the captaincy of Portimão , the AMN registered two sailboats that were left adrift and two vessels that ran aground on a non-bathing port beach.
Still in the district of Faro, authorities indicate that there were four sailboats that were left adrift on the Guadiana River, in the Vila Real de Santo António area, due to discharges from dams.
159 Kilometre Winds Recorded in the Algarve
The effects of Depression Martinho passing through the Algarve were less than expected, with mainly damage caused by strong winds, such as falling trees and removable structures, according to civil protection. According to data from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), shared by Meteofontes, gusts of 159 kilometres per hour were recorded in Fóia (Monchique), the highest point in the Algarve last night. However, “There are no serious situations and the incidents, mainly caused by the wind, were all resolved within the municipal scope, without the need to send external resources,” the Algarve regional commander of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), Vítor Vaz Pinto, told Lusa.
According to this official, several houses and buildings were damaged, “but there were no injuries and no need to rehome anyone. We were expecting more rain but the wind was the main problem, with trees and movable structures falling mainly,” added Vítor Vaz Pinto.
According to regional civil protection services, in Foia, the highest point in the Algarve, located in the Monchique mountains, winds of up to 140 km per hour were recorded.
From 20:00 pm on Wednesday until 8:00 am today, ANEPC’s regional services recorded 193 incidents, 143 of which were falling trees. There were also 16 incidents related to falls of removable structures (mainly advertising panels along roads) and nine falls of construction elements on built structures (mainly scaffolding). It is also worth mentioning eight situations in which structures that were at risk of falling were removed, three were road cleaning and one was related to flooding.
The prevention device that resolved these incidents mobilized 719 operatives and 235 vehicles from the various civil protection services, among which the firefighters were the most numerous, but also from the PSP (Public Security Police), GNR (National Republican Guard), civil protection services from municipal councils and E-Redes (the company responsible for the distribution network and the transport of electricity to homes).
Regional civil protection services warn that there will be a further worsening of weather conditions this afternoon, but it is not expected to be as adverse as what occurred during the night.
The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has issued yellow warnings for the Algarve today, with rainfall expected, sometimes heavy, possibly hail and accompanied by thunderstorms, wind gusts of up to 75 km/hour, especially on the coast and in the mountains, and, on the west coast, waves in the sea from the west/southwest of four to five meters, and on the south coast, waves from the southwest of four to four and a half meters.
Suspect Arrested for Algarve Burglaries
A 55-year-old man was arrested yesterday for burglaries in homes and possession of prohibited weapons, in the municipality of Loulé, district of Faro, with 18 weapons seized from him, the GNR reported on 20 March. In a statement, this security force states that the suspect was identified and located as part of an investigation related to the occurrence of multiple thefts in homes in that Algarve municipality.
During the operation, soldiers from the National Republican Guard (GNR) carried out two searches, one at a house and another in a vehicle.
At the end of the intervention, the suspect was arrested and several objects were seized, including some prohibited weapons: two shotguns, a concealed shotgun, two pistols, a revolver, two air pistols, three air rifles, three machetes, a homemade spear, a defense aerosol, an automatic opening knife, a taser and 583 rounds of ammunition. The case was sent to the Loulé Judicial Court.
4 Cases of Hepatitis A confirmed in Portimao
Four students at the Coca Maravilhas Elementary School in Portimão are sick with hepatitis A, with reports that the first case was confirmed in February but was ‘covered up’ by school management.
According to Portuguese television channel TVI, the first case of Hepatitis A at the school was confirmed in February, but parents of the infected students claim that the school management “has been hiding the cases from the school community”. The same sources state that at the school gate, there is information denying that there is an outbreak, and that the school is following all public health guidelines.
The General Directorate of Health confirmed that there are 4 infections at the school and that the transmission “occurred in a family environment of the cases who live in the same neighbourhood, in an area made up of precarious housing, without drinking water and sanitation”. Health authorities recommend vaccination for all high-risk contacts and warn children not to share food or water bottles, and to wash their hands regularly.
In the report , TVI says that since the beginning of the year, seven cases of Hepatitis A have been detected in the Algarve, but that the outbreak occurred initially in August 2024, with 52 cases in the municipalities of Faro, Olhão and Portimão.
Portugal Embraces ‘Cutting-edge’ System to Detect, Monitor Wildfires
To end this report, while not just an Algarve issue by a countrywide problem we hear from Lusa of a new technology in the field of Wildfire Monitoring. Portugal is to carry out tests to assess the effectiveness in rural fire management operations of data provided by the FireSat system, a cutting-edge technology for detecting and monitoring fires.
The Agency for Integrated Rural Fire Management AGIF– says it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Earth Fire Alliance (EFA), a non-profit organisation created to promote FireSat, to undertake the adoption of the system in Portugal.
FireSat is described as “a constellation of satellites designed specifically for the detection and characterisation of fires, providing a detailed and comprehensive view of fire activity, almost in real time, which can be capitalised on at all stages of the process chain in the area of rural fires, from planning to post-fire”. AGIF believes this collaboration will make it possible to “test the use of the data provided by FireSat and assess its applicability and effectiveness in rural fire management operations, particularly in the detection and monitoring of fires, including alerts, fire perimeters, radiative power and rate of spread.”
According to the Agency, the memorandum of understanding “implies no financial or legal obligations for either party and is valid until December 31, 2026, with the possibility of renewal by mutual agreement.”
According to AGIF, during this period data, knowledge and experience will be shared between the two organisations, but also with the early adopter community in Australia and the US, in order to maximise FireSat’s impact on Integrated Rural Fire Management System processes. The collaboration with EFA puts Portugal at the forefront of the use of space technologies for fire management, says Lusa “ensuring greater efficiency and effectiveness in the response to and prevention of extreme events”.
*EFA is a non-profit organisation created to promote the FireSat project, whose mission is to enable the monitoring of all fires globally, to serve the community with reliable and timely information and to conserve the Earth’s ecosystems and biodiversity by defining strategies to resist climate change.
EFA is supported, among others, by partners such as Google, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the Environmental Defence Fund (EDF).
Until the next time Stay Safe