Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 7th September 2022
Good morning – what a difference the weather makes! Due the rain showers and high humidity over the last few days there has been a vast decrease in the number of rural fires, to a point whereby yesterday at 0745 hrs there only 80 operatives deployed for the entire region tackling 3 fires under conclusion. This had gown to just over one hundred operatives by around mid-day, but with no active fires or fires under resolution.
Although fires are mainly of human cause, the weather conditions play a major part on how intense they may become and spread.
Instead of fires attention is beginning to turn to tropical storms particularly those originating in the north Atlantic. You may recall that around 5 weeks ago when we took the decision to form a Safe Communities Northern Portugal Group, one reason was of concerns over a possible active cyclone season and the effects these have had in the past, in the centre and north of the mainland.
Hurricane Danielle is a very good example of how such storms behave, in many ways similar to the typhoons we encountered when I lived and worked in Hong Kong. Although technology has improved on the tracking and forecasting of these, their behaviour remains the same. The storms increase and decrease in intensity, and can change direction dramatically. A few days ago a simulation showed that it could affect Portugal mainland and then literally a few hours later it was reported that it was heading in a more north easterly direction, only to find yesterday morning there was a possibility that it could change direction yet again to a south easterly course towards the mainland. Anyway we monitor these closely and if it becomes a potential threat, then we will issue preparedness advice.
Notwithstanding these storms, the north of the country has experienced a few showers, but generally less than what was forecast. Without rain in some places for several months roads can be slippery so please take that into account, when driving in wet weather. It is a good time of the year to check and ensure that your windscreen wiper blades are in good condition, as the rubber can harden over several months exposed to the sun. Ensure that your windscreen washers are topped up and that tyres are properly inflated and in good condition.
In case you missed our Facebook post yesterday, a reminder concerning action to take in case of poisoning. We live surrounded by possible toxins that we constantly use in our homes, garages, factories and in the countryside. When poisoning happens we need to know how to act and obtain help quickly.
The INEM Anti Poison Information Centre has decades of experience on this subject. This unit also gives expert advice on action to take in the case of animal poisoning as we. Consult INEM for advice and always have the number of INEM Anti-poison Information Centre (CIAV) at hand: 800 250 250.
Another important service is the SNS 24 Psychological Counselling Line which answered more than 173,000 calls in two and a half years, of which more than 10,800 were from health professionals, the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health (SPMS) reported this Sunday.
Created in the midst of a pandemic, on April 1, 2020, through a partnership between SPMS, EPE, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the Order of Portuguese Psychologists, it has been a voice of support for those who seek it in difficult times. According to SPMS, this year alone, [the Line] has already exceeded 46,000 calls. The SNS 24 Psychological Counselling Line now has a service available in English, and since last April 20, it has already answered about 2,500 calls.
Lastly another services this time from Safe Communities Portugal. This is the Emergency Contacts Poster for your home in case you need to summon emergency assistance. Dealing with a real emergency, such as an approach of a rural fire, serious health incident involving a loved one can be very stressful. Having information and essential contact details immediately available will help you in summoning help, and avoid wasting time in try to find such information at this critical time.
It is on our website. Just print from the link below, fill in in and place in a conspicuous place in your home, inside entrance doors for instance.
With that our team, Mike, Chris, Daniel, Susan and myself who prepare these weekly bulletins wish you a Safe week
News
Two men accused of war crimes for the first time in Portugal
Two men are charged in court with war crimes against people. This case is the first in Portugal. The Public Ministry indicted the two men of Iraqi nationality, detained in 2021 on suspicion of terrorist links to Daesh.
The brothers Yasser, 32 years old, and Ammar, 34 years old, have lived in Portugal since 2017. The youngest came to work in a restaurant in Lisbon that, in 2018, was visited by the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic.
The Iraqis were detained after three years of investigations on suspicion of being linked to a possible terrorist attack in a European country.
Until the arrest, the authorities found no evidence that the suspects were planning a crime in Portugal. However, they will be linked to various actions carried out by Daesh in Iraq, in the city of Mosul, where they were in 2016.
The two suspects are accused of committing crimes of membership of a terrorist organization, war crimes against people and crimes of resistance and coercion against an employee.
Portuguese Parliament debates and votes on the 16th to ratify the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO
The Assembly of the Republic will debate and vote on the 16th of September on the Government’s proposed resolutions aimed at ratifying the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, already approved by the Allies.
The date was announced by the spokeswoman for the conference of leaders, the socialist Maria da Luz Rosinha, who was speaking to journalists at the Assembly of the Republic, in Lisbon.
The Government’s proposed resolutions on the subject – approved by the Council of Ministers on 14 July – were submitted to the Assembly of the Republic on 19 July, according to the parliament’s website, having been sent to the parliamentary committees on Foreign Affairs and Communities. Portuguese and National Defence.
Since the last plenary session before the parliamentary vacation was on 21 July, the proposed resolutions in question were sent to September.
In both texts – one dedicated to Sweden, the other to Finland -, the Government reproduces the same arguments as to the reasons that justify the accession of the two countries to the Atlantic Alliance.
According to the executive, led by the PS, both Finland and Sweden meet “currently the necessary conditions for joining NATO, as a result of the cooperation carried out in several domains, framed by the parameters defined by the Alliance”.
The executive emphasizes that the accession of two Member States of the European Union (EU) to NATO “will contribute to the strengthening of the complementary relationship, in the field of security and defence, between the two organizations, in scrupulous respect for the principles enshrined in the respective treaties”.
Portuguese are the ones who most support the EU’s reaction to the Russian invasion
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LUSA
Portuguese are the ones who most support the EU’s reaction to the Russian invasion
Portugal is the member state that most supports the European Union’s reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with 78 percent of respondents saying they are satisfied, against 57 percent of the EU average, reveals a European Commission survey.
According to the «Eurobarometer» of the summer of 2022, released today by the EU executive, a majority of EU citizens are satisfied with the bloc’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine (57%, of which 11% are “very satisfied” ), but support varies from 78% in Portugal and Poland, to 36% in Estonia and 38% in Greece.
Portugal is the country where support for the EU’s response is greatest, as 78% of respondents say they are satisfied and only 15% express dissatisfaction (and 07% do not know or do not respond). In Poland, 78% also support the European bloc’s reaction, but 20% say they are dissatisfied (and only 02% do not respond).
When specifically asked about the EU’s responses in several areas, the greatest support is related to humanitarian action, which deserves the approval of 92% of European citizens – 98% in Portugal, once again the highest value among the 27 States, followed by the reception of people fleeing the war (90% in the community average, 97% in Portugal).
Regarding the economic sanctions adopted by the EU against Russia, they deserve the support of 78% of Europeans, with Portugal once again being the Member State where the measure receives the most support (94%), while the measure that gathers the least consensus is that of purchase and delivery of military equipment to Ukraine, ‘applauded’ by 68% of European citizens, but 86% of Portuguese.
When asked about the response of their respective national governments to Russian military aggression against Ukraine, 55% of citizens surveyed in the 27 Member States said they were satisfied, against 40% of dissatisfied.
In this case, Portugal is the fourth EU country where there is greater support for the national reaction (78% say they are satisfied), behind Finland (88%), Ireland and Denmark (both with 81%), while the countries where least supported are Greece and Bulgaria, with only 34% favourable opinions in both cases.
Despite strong support for the EU’s response to the war in Ukraine, 96% of Portuguese consider that the conflict had serious economic consequences for the country, the third highest figure in the EU (which averages 88%), and 85% say that have personally felt serious consequences at the economic level, also the third highest figure, and well above the Community average of 62%.
The survey, whose first results were published today, was conducted between 17 June and 17 July, with more than 26 thousand citizens, with 1,009 people surveyed in Portugal by Marktest.
Marta Temido began her duties as Minister of Health in October 2018 and was minister during the last three executives led by socialist António Costa. During her mandates, Marta Temido was at the centre of the management of the pandemic, which began in 2020, but also went through several controversies. Recently, the closure of emergency obstetrics services in several hospitals due to a lack of doctors to fill the scales put pressure on the ministry.
On a different note whereas we have been focusing on fires for some time, it was “a few drops of rain in the Algarve” on Sunday that caught the attention of our Facebook followers. The amount of rain did not materialize as the maps indicated but it did not stop around 120 of you sharing your “rain drop” experiences – the post reaching around 12,000 people. Seriously however, this reflects the desperate need there is for a protracted period of rain to in anyway help address the extreme drought problem in the region.
In a statement sent to the newsrooms, the organization explains that the investigation is intended to understand “the reason why the user was transferred”, “who were responsible for the transfer decision and under what clinical assumptions they ensured that the user could be transferred safely “, “what was the situation of the Neonatology Service of the Hospital de Santa Maria on the date of the patient’s transfer”, “in what circumstances the death occurred” and if “there were alternative and safer solutions to the transference of the patient”.
Through liaison with the ANEPC we ascertained that in the Algarve the risk was extremely high and that on the Sunday there was a red alert in terms of readiness by the civil protection and its agents. This is the highest level that can be issued and only when there is “an extremely dangerous situation”. As such and given the forecast weather conditions, particularly the high winds forecast, we decided to monitor the fire situation at regular intervals overnight on Sunday/Monday. This was prudent as there was a moderate fire in near Salir, Loule at around 0330 hrs that mobilised over a hundred operatives, with complications due to strong winds over 35 km/h and lack of Ariel support as it was night-time. The fire was brought to a conclusion after six hours.
But this is not the reality of the Iberian Peninsula, as the Joint Research Center estimates “weather conditions are drier than normal in western Spain and eastern Portugal”, as well as in the entire western Euro-Mediterranean region, where “some risks may persist”.
The three-day stop of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline imposed by Russia for “maintenance”, but which is being interpreted by Europe as blackmail from Moscow on the threshold of a winter when energy will be scarce, is putting pressure on the euro against to the dollar to such an extent that the single currency fell to two-decade lows on Tuesday, August 23.
In a press release, the IPMA adds that, on the islands of the western group (Flores and Corvo) “rainfall is sometimes expected”, which can “be accompanied by thunderstorms”, from 00:00 to 18:00 local time (19:00 in Lisbon) today.
At the IPMA we learned about various patterns that impact our daily weather, such as the position of the predominant high pressure system near the Azores. How this system moves influences the chance of rain and causes the variation in temperature throughout the Iberian Peninsula. Another issue of interest was the warming of sea water and how this can impact on weather conditions.
“We will have in September, as a rule, warmer weather than in previous Septembers. Between 50% and 60% hotter and between 40% and 50% drier”, said José Luís Carneiro, reiterating that “this says everything about the added risks that we will have to face” until the end of the summer.
“The proposal that the PJ has is that in a couple of years we can reach 1,800 inspectors and we are very legitimately expectant, positively expectant, that this plan will meet our desire”, said the national director of the Judiciary Police (PJ). ), Luís Neves, to journalists, at the end of the inauguration of two new directors, which took place at the headquarters of this police in Lisbon.