Portugal safety and Security Report 20th November 2024
Good morning everyone. From 16 to 24 November 2024, the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) is marked, dedicated this year to combating food waste, with the motto “Food Waste Is Out Of Taste”. The campaign, seeks to raise awareness in the community about the urgency of reducing food waste, addressing its social, economic and environmental impacts.
At European level, one third of the food produced for human consumption is wasted, and in the European Union alone more than 59 million tonnes of food waste are generated each year. This problem worsens food insecurity, wastes natural resources and increases greenhouse gas emissions, damaging the environment and the climate.
Let this be a reminder for all of us to do our part by reducing the amount of wasted food. Buy only what you need. Plan your meals. Make a shopping list and stick to it, and avoid impulse buys. Not only will you waste less food, you’ll also save money! Store food wisely – move older products to the front of your cupboard or fridge and new ones to the back. Put your food waste to use – instead of throwing away your food scraps, compost them. This way you are giving nutrients back to the soil and reducing your carbon footprint. These are a few ways we can all help.
The recent A Terra Treme awareness exercise which coincided with Tsunami Day 5th November focuses our attention on being prepared for such disasters however seldom they may occur. Much work is being undertaken on tsunami preparedness and what to should one occur. The Algarve is one of the most vulnerable territories on the Portuguese coast due to the high risk of earthquakes. Loulé City Council, is one of several councils that have a signage project for evacuation routes due to the risk of tsunami for its coast and a plan to raise awareness among the population in this regard.
There are now 140 tsunami evacuation route signs that are now spread across Quarteira/Vilamoura, 13 meeting points were created located outside the floodable area, considered safe places as they are located in higher areas, such as the Church of S. Pedro do Mar, the Drª Francisca de Aragão and Drª Laura Ayres Schools or Papa Francisco avenue. The plan also included 6 siren warning posts, which will be heard in the event of an alert.
Another initiative is being undertaken in Vilamoura; the land being essentially flat, the construction of shelters at a height is planned, especially in the Falésia Beach area, as, “In flat areas, the water spreads much further and it is necessary to walk longer distances to reach higher areas to evacuate.” If you use these areas familiarize yourself with these routes.
We are now approaching Black Friday on 29th November. Black Friday is famous for big sales and shopping frenzy. It’s also a busy time online, with Salesforce.com reporting increased worldwide online sales hitting a record $40 billion in 2023. Yet, alongside this rise in legitimate transactions, there was a notable increase in fraudulent activity, with reported losses from scams associated with Black Friday and Cyber Monday climbing by 22% from the previous year. These statistics don’t just reflect consumer zeal for deals; they also underscore the period’s vulnerability to cyber threats. Experts forecast the top three scams for this year will be Counterfeit or fake products, Fake ‘winning’ notifications and phishing texts and emails.
Watch out for scam emails that may appear identical to real ones. Are the images copied from a web search? Only send an electronic payment to someone you know or trust. Ensure your device, browser, and app software are up to date to minimise vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit. Remember, scammers are counting on you to be in a hurry this time of year, and maybe a bit stressed and a little disorganized! Take your time while shopping out there and keep an eye out for their tricks. That extra moment can save you far more time and money than you may think!
Our team at Safe Communities wish you a safety and happy week ahead.