Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 7^th December 2022

Good morning – This introduction focuses on the issuing of the weather warnings by the IPMA, the notification to the population by the ANEPC of the forecast weather and likely effects, and of course the weather conditions and impact experienced in the Algarve particularly on Sunday 4^th and Monday 5^th December 2022.

It was clear from the warnings and notifications, especially the hoisting of an orange rain warning coupled with a yellow level high wind warning, that the Algarve was likely to experience bad weather which could pose a public safety risk. This was well supported by weather charts at least two days in advance showing the arrival of heavy rain resulting from a depression forming to the west of the Iberian Peninsula. This is not unusual at this time of the year, but what is important is distinguishing between what is “normal” and what poses a higher risk than normal.

The fact is that, high winds, heavy rain showers and the term “extreme wind conditions” the term used by the ANEPC in their bulletin, are all indicators of what lay ahead. In our posts we included the ECMWF model showing heavy rain approaching around late afternoon on Saturday evening – and so it came to pass right on time!

If everyone had read the bulletins and warnings that were published, more people would have been aware and prepared. With the type of heavy and intense rain showers that are being encountered some are invariably “scattered” which means it does not always affect everyone. If it does affect an area then the population recognizes the good work of forecasters; however if the areas does see a single drop of rain, then residents  may claim that the warnings were exaggerated and can become blasé to the risk.  This can be a grave mistake and although weather forecasting has greatly improved over the last few years, there are still many variables particularly for instance in the path taken by cyclones. If an orange level (the second highest on the scale) is issued this should be taken seriously and be prepared as advised by the ANEPC.

It is worth noting that the main areas of the Algarve that were flooded on Sunday and Monday included Quarteira and Faro – both coastal towns. In November 2015 Albufeira (another coastal town) suffered from widespread flooding as following the hoisting of a red warning. It is therefore important to know your area and locations which may be more vulnerable to flooding.

The second point I wish to make is driving in heavy rain and flooded areas. We published advice on this, some of the main points being: to use lights when driving and not to cross flooded areas by car or cycling as sewage covers can become dislodged with obvious risks. Although most people appeared to be using their lights, not all were and this included some professional drivers. In the very heavy rain on Monday morning on the A22 a number of people were driving will over 130 km/h (I was at 95km/h) and given the conditions this posed a danger to themselves and others.

If there are floods and extremely heavy rain consider – is the journey really necessary? If there are floods ahead try and turn around or change direction if possible. If, however you do find yourself in a flooded area do not try and drive through.  If the vehicle is too deep the water may cover the exhaust pipe and you will be stranded probably affecting others as well. From social medial footage I saw many were attempting to drive too quickly thereby causing a bow wave which is dangerous and can result in a vehicle using its grip and damage to the engine. Certainly some of the cars shown in some photos/video had become dislodged in open sewage channels and had therefore been immobilized in part due to drivers taking the wrong decisions. I will be publishing more about this later this morning.

The forecast weather for today Wednesday has necessitated the raising of the Yellow and Orange level warnings for the Algarve, Beja and Setubal starting Faro at 0600 hrs a heavy rain warning for all other districts, so be aware and follow the precautions.

Please see our separate post regarding this.

With that have a safe day and please take care when driving

 News

More than 100 police officers suspended since 2019 for violating rule of law

Lisbon, Dec 6, 2022 (Lusa) – The Minister of Internal Administration revealed yesterday that 107 members of the PSP and GNR have been dismissed, compulsorily retired and suspended from service since 2019 for violating “fundamental values ​​of the rule of law”.

In a parliamentary hearing on the alleged involvement of PSP and GNR members in practices that violate the rule of law, namely in the dissemination of racist, xenophobic, misogynistic and hateful messages, José Luís Carneiro gave an account of the “rigor in the performance of the command of the GNR and the direction of the PSP to monitor attitudes and behaviours that are harmful to the fundamental values ​​of the rule of law”.

“Between 2019 and November 2022, 107 elements of the PSP and GNR were dismissed, compulsorily retired and suspended from service. Among these, 36 were fired, compulsorily retired and suspended from service between May and November of this year”, explained the minister at the hearing requested by the PCP, BE, PAN and Livre.

José Luís Carneiro assured deputies that “the General Inspection of Internal Administration (IGAI), the command of the GNR and the direction of the PSP have been carrying out systematic, serious and rigorous work to improve recruitment, training, information, awareness, monitoring and sanctioning, to prevent individual attitudes and behaviour that violate the values ​​of the democratic rule of law”.

The official also advanced that the training to be carried out next year in the criminal area will be carried out by IGAI inspectors from the judiciary.

The hearing of the minister comes after a report by a Portuguese consortium of investigative journalism, which includes journalists, lawyers and academics, reported that allegedly almost 600 members of the PSP and GNR, most of them active, use social networks to violate the law by writing racist and hateful messages.

Twelve arrested after special PSP operation in three parishes of Lisbon

Lisbon, 06 Dec 2022 (Lusa) – Twelve people were arrested today as part of the special criminal prevention operation carried out in three parishes of Lisbon, six of which are suspected of drug trafficking, announced the Public Security Police (PSP).

The 12 detainees are aged between 17 and 51 and are suspected of various types of crime, “namely six for drug trafficking, four for abusive occupation of residences and two for possession of prohibited weapons and ammunition”, said Commissioner André Teixeira. , from the Lisbon Criminal Investigation Division of the PSP.

Speaking to the Lusa agency, the PSP commissioner said that the police operation began at 7:15 am and ended at around 9:30 am, in the parishes of Areeiro, Penha de França and Beato, focusing more specifically on the Carlos Botelho, Portugal Novo and Quinta do Lavrado.

In addition to the arrests, the PSP seized cocaine, heroin and “about 1.5 kilograms of a product suspected of being hashish”, said commissioner André Teixeira, adding that around 20 thousand euros, ammunition of different calibers and other objects were also seized, all related to the practice of illicit activities, namely drug trafficking.

“All arrests were boosted within the scope of compliance with 15 home search warrants and five non-domicile search warrants”, said the PSP official.

These warrants were issued following the criminal prevention operation carried out under the arms law, in which the PSP collected, throughout this year, a set of information that denoted “an incidence of crimes committed with a firearm in these three places”.

Searches at the Ministry of Defence: PJ made five arrests for corruption, three are senior officials

The Judiciary Police (PJ), through the National Unit for Combating Corruption, carried out this Tuesday the execution of 59 search warrants, of which 29 were house searches and 30 non-domestic searches, aiming at the collection of complementary and related evidence.

This involves suspicions of criminal practices in the exercise of public functions, under investigation, which resulted in five arrests, one of which was Alberto Coelho, a senior State official who for six years led the Directorate-General for National Defence Resources, reveals CNN Portugal.

According to the station, the case that led to the arrest of Alberto Coelho is related to the refurbishment works of the Military Hospital of Belém, in Lisbon, which cost the State 3.2 million euros, compared to the 750 thousand initially foreseen. The slippage was revealed by an audit by the General Inspection of National Defence (IGDN), which aimed at Alberto Coelho’s performance, noting the “absence of competence (…) to authorize the expenditure”, among other aspects.

 

Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 30^th November 2022

Good morning – firstly I am pleased to report that over 60 people have registered for our community Lunch which we will be holding in Loule today. This also marls 10 years since we registered as Safe Communities Portugal, changing our name to Safe Communities Portugal in 2014, as a result of expansion in other parts of the mainland. We are pleased that Clive Jewell British Vice Consul responsible for the Algarve will be attending as our guest speaker, who has given great support to work that we do. We are looking forward to a very enjoyable event.

For those who listen to KissFM I outlined last Sunday on the Solid Gold Sunday Crime check feature, the various types of fraud and on-lone scams that we should expect to see in the lead up to Christmas.

Unfortunately not everything on Facebook and other social media is true! There is a temptation (sometimes a compulsion) to respond immediately to posts, or click on dubious links, and this applies to UNSOLICITED offers of goods and services. Remember if it appears too good to be true then it usually is! Take time to check out the offer.

If possible use online retailers/brands you are aware of and trust. For major brands always go to their official website to find a list of authorised sellers. Ensure you have adequate anti-virus software that will enable your computer to flag any untrustworthy sites.

Another is fake parcel delivery scams – In the lead up to Christmas we are already seeing an increase in Portugal of on-line parcel delivery scams in emails using the names of well-known couriers, such as CTT – DHL etc.  If you are expecting a delivery be particularly careful. Check senders address email address first, some are obviously incorrect others more difficult to spot- Do not click on any links in emails, open attachments or reply. Simply delete the email.

Fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated in the way they operate and have now started using QR codes linked to fake websites they have created. Be aware, therefore of any QR code embedded in an unsolicited email as this can be a scam. If you don’t know the sender, don’t scan the QR code.  If in doubt check with the company concerned but not using the contact details in the email. For those who are UK take payers please be aware that there are fake emails circulating using the name of HMRC demanding payment of overdue taxes using QR codes linked to fake websites.

For those living in north and centre we are now seeing overnight temperatures dropping to zero or even below in some places. During the cold weather there are certain precautions to take when it comes to protecting from low temperatures.

Many domestic accidents are due to the effect of carbon monoxide, toxic gas, odourless and colourless and most fatal domestic fires are at night time. Reminders from the ANEPC are:

Don’t try and keep warm using appliances intended for other uses: such as grills etc; Keep the room ventilated; Do not store gas bottles in basements or near heat sources; Before you go to bed or leave the house, check if you have turned off the heating equipment; Avoid sleeping next to heating equipment. Install a carbon monoxide alarm. If someone has symptoms of poisoning, contact the INEM Anti-poison Information Centre: 800 250 250 and in serious cases contact 112.

Also with cold temperature there will likely be more frost and icy patches on roads. It is a good time therefore to ensure that your tyres and windscreen wipers are in good order and that windscreen washers are topped up. Check the spray nozzles of your windshield-washer system.

Darker mornings, evenings and lower temperatures around this time of year make conditions more difficult. Road surface temperatures are usually a few degrees lower, so drivers should not rely on in-car temperature sensors as an indicator of possible frost or ice.

A winter accident could leave you stuck on the side of the road. If you regularly drive in very cold areas packing your car with a few essentials will help keep you safe and ready for whatever conditions pop up on your trip. A useful tip we have come across is to keep the fuel tank at least half full throughout the winter. This will reduce condensation, making your vehicle easier to start on cold mornings.

Lastly we have yet to see the first IPMA low temperature warning for this winter or ANEPC advice to the public, but when they do appear, please follow the warnings and advice given – which are there for your safety.

With that have a safe week ahead.

News

Two engineers go on trial for landslides in Guimarães in 2013

Guimarães, Braga, 29 Nov 2022 (Lusa) – The Court of Appeal of Guimarães (TRG) has decided to bring to trial two engineers in the landslide process registered in 2013 in Mesão Frio, Guimarães, which cut the bypass that connects this municipality to Fafe.

In a note published today on its website, the Porto Regional Attorney General’s Office (PGRP) explains that the decision follows an appeal filed by the Public Ministry (MP) to that higher court, after the Criminal Instruction Court (TIC) of Guimarães, in February of this year, not pronounce (not bring to trial) any of the four defendants previously accused, and who had requested the opening of instruction.

According to the PGRP, by judgment issued on November 21, the TRG “upheld partially” the MP’s appeal and pronounced (decided to bring to trial) a technical engineer and a civil engineer “for the crime of infraction of construction rules, damage to facilities and disruption of services”.

On June 21, 2019, the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Braga (Guimarães, 2nd section) brought charges against the company responsible for the construction of 10 luxury villas, two managing partners and two engineers – now pronounced – imputing them “the commission of a crime of infraction of construction regulations, damage to installations and disruption of services, and a crime of attacking the safety of road transport”.

The defendants requested the opening of an investigation, an optional phase that aims to decide by a criminal investigation judge whether the process continues and in what ways for trial, having, on February 22 of this year, the TIC of Guimarães issued an order of non-pronouncement, decision now reversed by the TRG, but only for the two engineers.

The MP’s accusation maintains that, in the context of the construction of a real estate project consisting of 10 houses, the defendant contractors built, from March 15, 2007 to February 22, 2008, a landfill, in Mesão Frio, Guimarães municipality, “together with the defendant engineers, who had not observed the good construction rules contained in the regulatory standards applicable to this type of construction, namely those relating to drainage and soil composition”.

“As a direct and necessary consequence of such construction flaws”, on April 2, 2013 “the soils of the work, as well as the slope, slipped in a length of 60 meters and height of 50 meters”, stresses the MP.

Pharmacist recalls batches of eye drops sold in Portugal

Lisbon, 29 Nov 2022 (Lusa) – German pharmaceutical company Bitop AG is recalling eight batches of Ectodol eye drops, marketed in Portugal, after a reduction in the main component was detected, the national drug regulator (Infarmed) announced today. .

The batches in question are A841E, A841F, A841G, B841D, B841E, B841F, B841G and B841H, lists the National Authority for Medicines and Health Products (Infarmed) in an informative circular dated Monday and released today on its website.

Infarmed recommends, according to the measures provided by the manufacturer, the “immediate interruption of the ophthalmic solution and its return to the acquisition establishment” although, according to the evaluation carried out by the pharmaceutical company, “the effectiveness and performance” of the drops are not affected, not constituting a health risk.

The collection of targeted batches began “after a decrease in the predicted concentration of ectoine, the main component of the solution, and the presence of degradation products of this substance were identified”.

To date, according to Infarmed, “no cases of incidents associated with the use of these lots have been reported”.

However, Infarmed advises, “in case of any unwanted side effect, such as eye irritation or conjunctivitis, contact a health professional”.

Ectodol Eye Drops work by “reducing inflammation of the conjunctiva and regenerating irritated and sensitive conjunctiva”.

EDP ​​Renováveis ​​installs the most powerful onshore wind turbines in the Iberian Peninsula in the Algarve

Barão São João wind farm, in the Algarve, with two new wind towers, equipped with 6.2 megawatt Vestas wind turbines, the most powerful machines in land parks in the Iberian Peninsula

EDP ​​Renováveis ​​and the Danish company Vestas completed the installation of the most powerful turbines for onshore wind farms. The two new wind turbines, with a unitary power of 6.2 megawatts (MW), were installed at the Barão São João wind farm, in Lagos, in the Algarve, EDP said in a statement this Monday.

The power of this equipment does not, however, exceed that which is operational in the Windfloat Atlantic offshore wind farm, off Viana do Castelo, with three machines of 8 MW each, although it is normal for offshore parks to be equipped with turbines more powerful than land installations.

The park has two new towers, equipped with Vestas EnVentus V162 wind turbines, machines to which 80-meter-long blades will be attached.

With this project, Vestas exceeds 900 MW of installed capacity or capacity under construction in Portugal, although the total volume of wind capacity on which Vestas is providing services in the country (including parks with equipment from other manufacturers) exceeds 1 gigawatt (GW), according to the EDP statement.

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 23^rd November 2022

 

By David Thomas

Good morning – We welcome the news yesterday announced by the Minister of Internal Administration that with regards to the GNR, in addition to the effort to gradually improve the salary conditions of its soldiers, the reinforcement of personnel of the security forces and services will take place.

This includes the admission of around 1,500 new guards during the year 2022, and with the expectation of admitting more than 1,000 guards in 2023″, the minister explained yesterday, at a ceremony presided over by the Prime Minister, António Costa. José Luís Carneiro also advanced that “an investment of more than 600 million euros in planned modernization of the infrastructure, materials and technology, providing better conditions of dignity, fundamental to the operational success” of the GNR.

This is really required in Portugal, with police (GNR and PSP) often working in poor conditions, in buildings not designed as police stations, with salaries well below the European average for police and shortages in the number of staff to meet current challenges and duties required of them.

Yesterday the Public Security Police (PSP) have launched a national operation that aims to raise awareness throughout society of domestic violence and the importance of early reporting, an initiative that will involve more than 1,300 police officers. The operation will run until Friday, when the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is marked.

According to the PSP, this operation will involve “individual contacts with victims of domestic violence and their families”, carry out awareness-raising actions on the subject, “organize or participate in forums or seminars, promote awareness about the problem and the need to report this crime, in its different types”, such as physical, psychological, sexual or deprivation of liberty.

The latest data from the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality indicate that the PSP and the GNR had received 8,887 complaints of domestic violence by September of this year, 1,277 more than in the same period of 2021. Unfortunately in 2021 Domestic Violence was the highest reported crime In Portugal.

Domestic violence is a “public crime” which means that it can be reported by anyone not just the victim. Sometimes people are aware that a friend or relation is a victim of domestic violence but are reluctant to intervene. However failure to do so can result in the victim continuing to receive such abuse leading to injury or even worse.

Safe Communities Portugal works closely with APAV (Victim Support Organisation) on the this subject and earlier this year organised a seminar in Loulé, aimed various vulnerable groups such as the Nepalese, Indian and Bangladeshi communities living and working in Portugal.

Finally a reminder that in the lead up to Christmas we can expect more on-line scams including phishing attacks.  Yesterday CTT – Correios de Portugal warned of “phishing schemes” (fraud) that are circulating on the Internet and social networks using, in an abusive way, the name and image of the company. We received one from a reader yesterday. It is important to look out for these and always check the senders URL/address carefully. It may look similar but a full stop wrongly placed can make all the difference.

Having been on holiday for a short break in Spain I thank our team for all their work, not only on Facebook, but all that goes on behind the scenes, in running Safe Communities and the various services we provide

Have a good week ahead

 

News

New GNR commander repudiates “any act of racism

The new general commander of the GNR repudiated, this Tuesday, “any act of discrimination, racism, xenophobia or any other form of behaviour that violates human dignity”, advancing that this police force has internally developed measures that promote human rights.

“For a few years now (…) that the GNR has been guided by the care and protection of human rights and fundamental rights, repudiating any act of discrimination, racism, xenophobia or any other form of behaviour that violates the dignity human life”, said Lieutenant General José Santos Correia, in his inauguration speech, in a ceremony that took place at the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI).

Santos Correia, who was second in command of the GNR, stressed that the National Republican Guard is “always attentive to successive social transformations”.

In this sense, he stressed, this corporation has “developed and consolidated its level of skills training with the introduction of all initial training courses for the promotion and specialization of curricular units on rights, freedoms and guarantees, respect for differences, use of coercive means, citizenship rights”, in addition to addressing “the themes of human rights, multiculturalism, prohibition of discriminatory practices and peaceful conflict resolution”.

The new commander of this security force also reported that the GNR has implemented other measures “promoting human and fundamental rights”, such as the Plan for the Prevention of Manifestations of Discrimination in the Security Forces and Services, prepared by the General Inspectorate of Internal Administration (IGAI), Commission for Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Guard and the figure of the GNR human rights officer.

 

Almost 12,000 speeding drivers during enforcement campaign

The inspection and awareness campaign “Travel without haste” detected nearly 12,000 speeding drivers in more than 2.4 million vehicles inspected by radar between the 14th and 21st of November.

According to a note released today by the Public Security Police, of the 11,803 speeding violations recorded by security forces nationwide, 6,406 were detected by the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR) radars and 5,397 were detected by the National Road Safety (ANSR) radars. PSP and the National Republican Guard (GNR), in a total of 2,463,271 inspected vehicles.

In the period in question, 2,935 accidents with victims were reported, which caused seven deaths (four males), 41 serious injuries and 772 minor injuries. The accidents occurred in the districts of Aveiro, Faro, Lisbon, Setúbal, Viana do Castelo and Viseu, with deaths resulting from five being run over, a collision and a car skidding.

Comparing with the same period of 2021, there were more accidents (61), but there was a reduction in the number of deaths (less two), serious injuries (less 13) and minor injuries (less 95).

The initiative, part of the 2022 National Inspection Plan, aimed to raise awareness of the risks of driving at excessive speed, which represent one of the major causes of road accidents, and was also based on ANSR awareness-raising actions at the same time as inspection operations.

 

 

Portugal Safety and Security report Wednesday 9^th November 2022

 

Good morning – The 9^th November is the date for this year’s Seismic risk awareness exercise which will take place at exactly 1109 hrs.

This has been widely publicised for a very good reason, that is because know what action to take in an earthquake can save your life and those of your family. We never know when a major earthquake may occour the, last major one being in 1967 when a 7.9 major earthquake caused loss of life and extensive damage in the Algarve.

Never adopt the attitude “it will never happen to me”. Even though major earthquakes are infrequent, depending on where the epicentre is, the magnitude and depth, all determine the extent of damage and potential loss of life. So “A Terra Treme” and practicing Drop Cover Hold, especially if you have young children and those with disabilities, is very important. Details here; https://www.aterratreme.pt/

Later this morning safe Communities will be undertaking the exercise and we will publish the photos on social media afterwards.

With some very wet weather around at present a reminder of safety on the road especially motorcyclists. Always wear protective gear, helmet, tough protective clothing and reflective material.  Always ride with the lights on, to be seen; do not ride between queues or moving vehicles; – move away from blind spots of vehicles and adjust your speed to the state of the road and ensure a safe distance.

We also ask everyone to regularly check the weather warnings issued by the IPMA. These can change from time to time and what is issued at the start of the day may well change in accordance with changing weather forecasts. Yesterday he Alcântara area, in Lisbon, was affected by “a low intensity tornado”, which caused damage to the roof of the Food Bank Against Hunger, official sources confirmed.

Patrícia Marques, meteorologist on duty at the IPMA, explained that it was “a supercell, which passed with a lot of activity and made a rotational movement that will have resulted in the image similar to a funnel”.

The “extreme wind phenomenon” was detected by IPMA radar data and was “short-lived in time”. The meteorologist said that the country is being crossed “by a cold frontal surface with a lot of activity”, which is making the Lisbon-Castelo Branco route, on the way to Spain. It is therefore important to regularly check the weather forecasts and warnings in place when planning your outdoor activities.

Civil Protection recorded 182 occurrences in mainland Portugal, between 00:00 and 15:00 yesterday, due to heavy rain and wind, with the districts of Lisbon and Aveiro being the most affected. These were essentially due to flooding on public roads and in urban areas with fallen trees, not counting those referring to the city of Lisbon”.

At around 2:30 pm, in a first assessment, Paulo Santos said he had recorded 106 occurrences, between 00:00 and 13:00 today, across the continental territory, due to heavy rain.The Civil Protection commander also said, at the time, that the districts most affected were those of Porto and Aveiro, mainly due to flooding in urban roads and falling trees.

“There was also a record of an occurrence of an extreme wind phenomenon, in the middle of the morning, around 10:50 am, in Marinha Grande [district of Leiria], which led to the fall of several trees, damage to 14 vehicles and a structure metal that flew and damaged high voltage lines, which led to the intervention of E-Redes”, said Paulo Santos.

With that have a good day and remember the “A Terra Treme” exercise at 1109 hrs!

 

News

October 2022 was the hottest month on record in Europe

October 2022 was the warmest month ever recorded in Europe, the European Union’s Earth Observation Program Copernicus said today, after a summer with record temperatures.

Average temperatures were “almost 2ºC above the reference period, 1991-2020”, the statement said.

The European service, which does not have comparable data before the period 1991-2020, had already announced that the summer of 2022 was the hottest on record (1.34ºC above normal).

“The serious consequences of climate change are evident and we need ambitious climate action at COP27 to ensure that emissions are reduced with the aim of stabilizing temperatures at a level close to the 1.5 degrees set by the Paris agreement”, said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the EU programme, quoted by Agence France-Presse.

The 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to try to stop global warming, is taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, until the 18th.

According to Copernicus, “a heat wave led to record daily temperatures in western Europe and an unprecedented month of October in Austria, Switzerland and France, as well as in much of Italy and Spain.”

The European continent is the one that registers the fastest heating on the planet.

In the last 30 years, Europe has seen an increase in temperatures of more than double the global average, with an average warming of about +0.5 degrees Celsius (ºC) per decade, according to a report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and of Copernicus released a week ago.

In October, in some parts of the continent, the abnormal heat was added, as in summer, to the lack of rain. “The climate was drier than average in most of southern Europe and the Caucasus,” the statement said.

“Colder-than-average temperatures were recorded in Australia, far eastern Russia and parts of West Antarctica.”

Since the end of the 19th century, the Earth has warmed by almost 1.2°C, with about half of the increase occurring in the last 30 years. This year could be the fifth or sixth warmest on record, despite the impact since 2020 of the climate phenomenon “La niña” — a periodic and natural event in the Pacific, which cools the atmosphere, according to AFP.

 

DiCaprio’s film documentary about the Pedrógão Grande fire opens this week in Portugal

The documentary “From Devil’s Breath”, by Orlando Von Einsiedel, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, which deals with the great fire of Pedrógão Grande in 2017, will be shown this week in Portugal, revealed the US Cinemas.

According to the exhibitor, the film will be shown between Friday and Sunday in Lisbon, Loulé, Viseu, Funchal, Aveiro, Braga, Matosinhos and Coimbra, in a total of 24 sessions.

The tickets have “a symbolic cost of five euros and part of the revenue will be donated to a reforestation project to be selected by Casa do Impacto”, which is an innovation hub promoted by Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, says the exhibitor.

“From Devil’s Breath” is a 40-minute documentary short film that tells the story of survivors of the great Pedrógão Grande fire in the summer of 2017, which killed 66 people.

The film’s production and co-production team brought together several people, including actor Leonardo DiCaprio and journalists Tiago Carrasco and Catarina Fernandes Martins.

The recordings for the documentary took place in early 2020 and portray the story of Nádia Piazza, who lost her son and who was president of the Pedrógão Grande Fire Victims Association, one of the seriously injured, Vítor Neves, firefighter Sérgio Lourenço and by Sofia Carmo, who promotes reforestation projects in the affected area, journalist Tiago Carrasco told Lusa at the end of 2021.

The story of the survivors and what happened in Pedrógão Grande is crossed with the work and perspective of the English ecologist Thomas Crowther, with work in the restoration of ecosystems, who was also in Pedrógão Grande and who proposes solutions to the problem, he explained. According to the journalist, the production came to the idea of making the film in California (United States) or in Australia, but ended up choosing the case of Pedrógão Grande, “because it was so devastating, so concentrated and a tragedy with a huge loss of lives”.

“From Devil’s Breath”, which has already been shown at the Palm Springs Film Festival (USA) and at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26), will be shown on Sunday, the 13th, on the North American channel MSNBC and is available on the Peacock streaming platform. The film is shown as part of the documentary series “Tipping Point”, by presenter Trevor Noah and production company Time Studios.

Orlando Von Einsiedel, who wrote “From Devil’s Breath”, won an Oscar for best documentary short in 2017 for the film “The White Helmets”, about volunteers from relief teams in the Syrian war.

According to exhibitor Cinemas NOS, the session of “From Devil’s Breath” at the Amoreiras cinema, on Friday, in Lisbon, will include a debate on climate change with deputy Miguel Costa Matos (PS), with co-producer Catarina Fernandes Martins. , Sofia Carmo, responsible for the reforestation program in Pedrógão Grande, and with moderation by Inês Sequeira, director of Casa do Impacto.