Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 13^th September 2023

Good morning, we have received several reports of scams this week, one of which a lady in the Algarve receiving a call from an automated line “saying they were the GNR that her ID card had been used in illegal activity and there is a warrant out for her arrest! It asked her to press 1 to be put through to the police. She pressed 1, but the call ID was from Croatia. A man answered in English (who sounded Indian or Pakistani) and asked for her name and postcode whereupon she hung up.

The other involves the following message received by someone on WhatsApp this morning, and being widely shared. It was brought to Safe Communities Portugal’s attention: it states.  “Don’t open anything on What’s App  Called Seismic Waves Car – showing photos of earthquake in Morocco and will pirate your phone in 10 seconds  Nothing can stop it Don’t Open it”

HOWEVER we have researched this and please read the following: The Seismic Wave Card is a hoax, incapable of hacking phones or stealing personal info. The claim that the card can hack phones is false; the card doesn’t exist in reality. The scam message is designed to exploit fears and anxieties; it lacks credibility. This scam relies on exploiting the anxieties and uncertainties of those affected by the earthquake, spreading misinformation and fear. “The assertion that the Moroccan earthquake seismic wave card can hack phones is unequivocally false. This is a baseless rumour circulating online.

It is unthinkable that in a major catastrophe such as this with over two thousands deaths that anyone can get any sort pleasure by spreading misinformation and fear. If you receive this do not share simply delete.

Yesterday Safe Communities Portugal gave a presentation at the Amigos do Museu São Brás de Alportel Coffee Morning kindly organized by Cliff Newton. Attending from Safe Communities were David Thomas President, Jane Thomas and Mike Evans member of the management team. Around 39 people attended and subjects discussed were, crime prevention, on-line scams, rural fires, land cleaning, major disaster preparedness. Great engagement and atmosphere as well as excellent questions. Very nice to see people who attended our events in the area some years ago. We are already discussing joint events for the future.

Now that earthquake disaster is on every social media we remember that each year government conducts a national earthquake awareness exercise.  The National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) promotes, usually in November, the national seismic risk awareness exercise, called “A TERRA TREME”. Safe Communities Portugal has supported this each year in a number of ways.

This initiative is part of the activities that form part of the National Strategy for Preventive Civil Protection and aims to empower the population to know how to act before, during and after an earthquake, sensitizing citizens to the fact of living in a risk society, and challenging themselves o to get involved in the process of building safer and more resilient communities. The exercise comprises the practice of 3 simple gestures that can make a difference to those who practice them in the face of an earthquake.

The action takes place during one (1) minute, in which the participants, individually or collectively, are invited to perform the 3 self-protection gestures: DROP, COVER, HOLD. We will be providing more information about this year’s exercise as soon as it becomes available.

Lastly with thunderstorms around and two people struck by lightning a few days ago, a reminder. Use the 30 second rule to determine the threat level of lightning. This rule is simple and consists of counting the seconds between seeing lightning and hearing the thunder. If this value is less than 30 seconds, seek shelter.

During a thunderstorm: Never stay under a tall, isolated tree. Most thunderstorm victims are struck when they seek shelter under a tree; avoid being near trees, communication towers, electricity poles, metal fences, etc; Check that you are not at the highest altitude in the surrounding area. Do not remain isolated on the top of a hill, in an open field, or on the beach, you’ll be the highest point around and may attract lightning for that reason alone. If you are in an open field and you see a possible thunderstorm arriving seek shelter in a low-lying area such as a ravine or valley – never lie down in an open field.

Our team art Safe Communities wish you a safe week ahead

News

Portuguese in the EP want more action to combat natural disasters that are a daily occurrence

Strasbourg, September 12, 2023 (Lusa) – Portuguese MEPs insisted today on the need for more investment from the European Union (EU) to prevent natural disasters and dramatized that catastrophic meteorological phenomena are already part of the daily lives of European citizens.

“Every year we regret the fires, the drought, the deaths, the floods”, began by saying the social democrat José Manuel Fernandes, who is part of the political family of the European People’s Party (EPP), during a debate in the European Parliament (PE) in Strasbourg, on the prevention of disasters such as heat waves, floods and forest fires.

“More than words”, continued the MEP, actions are needed and the 27 “are not doing what they are supposed to do”: “We don’t lack money, you have storms of millions.”

And he criticized the socialist Government in Portugal, for rejecting “8,300 million euros for the loan aspect of the Recovery and Resilience Plan [PRR] that it could use”, in the view of José Manuel Fernandes for “forest planning, helping the rural world” and prepare for dry periods with irrigation aid.

Despite criticism of national political decisions, at European level there appears to be consensus on this matter.

Socialist MEP Sara Cerdas, from Socialists & Democrats (S&D), called for “greater preparation” among the 27 and “more effective responses” that can minimize the consequences of increasingly severe meteorological phenomena.

“Extreme heat waves, floods, forest fires are already part of our daily lives”, so he called for more action, quickly.

Communist MEP João Pimenta Lopes, who belongs to the Left in the EP, highlighted the lack of appropriate funding and “support for disaster prevention” which has consequences for most EU citizens.

“Instead, we see the reduction or diversion of cohesion funds and other funds to fuel the profits of, among others, energy and armaments groups,” he added.

Much of the territory of European Union countries has been hit by extreme weather phenomena in recent years. In the last four months, for example, there have been heat waves across the EU, floods and large forest fires that have destroyed homes and ended up causing casualties. 

Tuk-tuk driver caught trafficking drugs at Albufeira Rally

The driver of a tourist motorized tricycle, known as a “tuk-tuk”, was arrested during the Albufeira Rally, after being seen handing over “several packages of cocaine” to another person, the Command said this Tuesday. GNR territory of Faro.

The suspect was arrested in flagrante delicto on a public street last Saturday. In addition to the packages of cocaine, the GNR soldiers patrolling the rally seized 290 euros in cash from the 34-year-old tuk-tuk driver.

The GNR then carried out searches of the same man’s house and vehicle, seizing three more doses of cocaine, 552 doses of hashish and cannabis, and almost 12 thousand euros in cash.

The detainee was brought before the Portimão Judicial Court, where a criminal investigation judge decided to release him, with the obligation to report twice a week to the police station in his area of ​​residence.

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 6^th September 2023

Good morning, Whereas up to around 10 days all the news was on rural fires there has been a sudden change with the arrival of a “cold air drop”, which lived up to its name especially in Spain.

Portugal was indeed fortunate – this time – but what happened in Madrid for instance and other areas of Spain could easily have taken place in Portugal had the positioning of the air mass slightly different.

On Monday and Tuesday severe storms hit Greece after an extended period of wildfires. The devastation in some areas is considerable with over 600 mm of rain in some parts, extensive flooding and cars being washed out to sea. Yesterday’s map of Europe contrasted this with the well above temperatures in the UK and the emergence of another heatwave for some other parts of Europe.

 It is important to bear this in mind for the future, which is one of the reasons why we post the effects and images of such extreme weather phenomena in other countries, simply because it could happen here and we therefore need to be prepared.

One thing is for sure the situation regarding the frequency and intensity of extreme weather conditions is not set to improve, so we really must be aware off the effects and what we can do to reduce the impact on our lives.

 Away from fires and floods we now come to the topic of earthquakes and tsunamis. We have posted on our new Facebook group some information and advice concerning these topics, so people know what to do should this take place. Reminder that Portugal is a moderate risk of earthquakes and although there is little we can do to prevent these, there is much that can be done in preventing the impacts and reducing the loss of life through taking the right action should such a disaster take place.

Coincidentally yesterday there were two small very shallow earthquakes south of the Algarve within 10 hours of each other at 3.9 and 3.7 magnitude respectively. The latter although smaller was felt by more people, being only 35 kilometres from the Algarve coastline.  Being small there were no injuries or damage – BUT what if they had been much larger! Would this have caused damage? Would a Tsunami have resulted? The fact that one of these was at night time when most people were indoors, how would this have impacted on the number of casualties?

These are subject that we may not like to even think about, but we cannot and should not ignore. Knowing what to do in an earthquake and early warning of an approaching tsunami is essential, the latter in particular for those living close to the coastline in certain areas of the Algarve, as well as Cascais and Lisbon. We at Safe Communities will continue to play our role in explaining the risk, but it is up to everyone to be aware of what action to take. In an earthquake “Drop, Cover Hold” and in a tsunami try an immediately move to higher ground.

Turning lastly to the drought situation, as expected there was a drop in water levels in most reservoirs recorded by the National Water Resources Information System at the end of August compared to one month earlier, which is expected in August, but the better news is that the situation has much improved compared to the same month in 2022. However we do need to conserve water as parts of the country are still at severe drought.

So on that slight optimistic note please have a safe week ahead.

News

Vaccination against flu and covid-19 starts on September 29th

Porto, September 5, 2023 (Lusa) – Vaccination against flu and Covid-19 starts “with a bang” on September 29, the executive director of the National Health Service (SNS) announced today.

“The scenario we have on the table is on September 29th to start [with vaccination against influenza and covid-19] with strength and with enormous support from the Portuguese”, said Fernando Araújo at the 2nd Symposium of the World Health Organization Saúde (OMS) dedicated to the digital future, taking place in Porto.

The person in charge, accompanied by the Minister of Health, assumed that vaccination will be “something complex” because it will involve a very wide range of entities from the Ministry of Health.

Vaccination against Covid-19 will take place in health centers simultaneously with the flu, similar to what happened in 2022.

What is new this year is that, for the first time, it will also be possible to administer the vaccine against Covid-19 in community pharmacies that have a vaccine administration service, professionals with specific training in administering vaccines and who express their willingness to participate in the campaign, according to an ordinance published on August 17th in the Diário da República.

These pharmacies will be able to operate longer opening hours, with the list of members available on the websites of the National Health Service, the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) and Infarmed.

According to the ordinance, it will now be up to the DGS to issue the technical guidelines that govern the vaccination process, namely defining the vaccination criteria and eligible users.

Storage Bulletin in Reservoirs in Mainland Portugal – Water volume drops in August compared to July

Lisbon, September 5, 2023 (Lusa) – The volume of water stored decreased in all monitored river basins in Portugal compared to July, according to data from the National Water Resources Information System (SNIRH) for the last day of August. (Left map).  However compared to August 2022 (right map there is a vast improvement)

Of the 60 monitored reservoirs, 11 had water availability greater than 80% of the total volume and 19 less than 40%.

According to SNIRH data available today, at the end of August the Barlavento (8.4%), Sado (21.8%), Arade (28.6%) and Mira (31%) basins had less water availability. 8%).

The Lima basin had the largest volume of water, 86.3% of its capacity, followed by the Douro (79.6%), Cávado (78.7%) and Ave (76.9%).

August 2023 storages by river basin were generally higher than the August storage averages (1990/91 to 2021/22), except for the Sado, Guadiana, Mira, Ribeiras do Algarve and Arade basins.

Each river basin may correspond to more than one reservoir.

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 30^th August 2023

Good morning everyone. Well after a hot and dry period for many parts of the country in recent weeks, which has facilitated an average of some 82 fires a day over the last week alone, there are indications that the weather may change for the better, or worse, depending on your perspective. Better in those areas that need rain, worse if it comes in the form of downbursts that cause flooding and danger to people and property.

Various metrological models have been pointing for several days to the possibility of a situation that would produce instability with showers, thunderstorms, hail and strong gusts of wind throughout the country, in early September. However the weekend of the 2nd/3rd of September is still difficult to predict, due to Hurricane Franklin, a cyclone that will not touch land, but which will move the atmospheric elements and can complicate the forecast.

The “hand-to-hand struggle” between Franklin and the Azores High will be decisive to how the weather will evolve from early September on the mainland. We are monitoring closely.

Sometimes it is easy to become sceptical about weather forecasting, with what was predicted not coming to fruition, but with far improved technology available these days, it has in fact become far more accurate – due mainly to advanced satellites that can produce more information and imaging thus helping metreologists. Clearly the more accurate the information, the quality of the analysis and accuracy of bulletins, and most important timing, can help people prepare and thus reduce the impact of any natural disasters. The above is an example of the challenges they face.

However, one good example a few days ago was the charts and information produced by ESTOFEX the European Storm Warning system, which we published on our new Facebook group on Saturday morning, which gave very detailed indication of developing storms in parts of Europe particularly the Balearic Islands and Sardinia, which the following day came to fruition with storms and large hailstorms that cause considerable damage.

The live lightning site – meteoredpt showed several hours beforehand a huge number of electrical discharges approaching Sardinia. We published this and a few hours later there were high winds storms and considerable damage.

Although this did not impact Portugal these metrological tools are available for anyone to see and one does not need to be a meteorologist to realize the likely impact. The examples of extreme weather are everywhere to be seen and of course is not immune to this. So the moral of all this is to really study the forecasts in particular the wording from organisations such as, ESTROFEX, ECMWF, AMEAT, IPMA, and xxx to name but a few. Forewarned is forearmed. A simple analogy, would you delay getting treatment if all the evidence showed you had an illness – no of course not. The same goes for the forecasting of weather that could cause life threatening results or damage!

Scientists have, however highlighted the difficulty in anticipating extreme weather events, which are, by definition, rare. They argue that weather models are changing very quickly which leaves the world “partly flying blind” towards an increasingly unpredictable future.

July was the hottest month in human history and people across the world are suffering the consequences,” says Professor Piers Forster of the University of Leeds in the UK. “But this is what we would expect at this level of warming. This will be the average summer for 10 years unless the world cooperates and puts climate action at the top of the agenda.”

We are much more vulnerable than we thought. Our vulnerability is slapping us in the face” warn experts who make it clear, once again, that urgent pro-climate action is needed. From high temperatures to sudden torrential downpours, from wildfires to drought, “crazy” extreme weather conditions are just the “tip of the iceberg”, warn scientists.

Within a decade – if there is no strong climate strategy – the extreme weather events of 2023 will become the new normal, the world’s leading climate researchers told the British publication the Guardian, which asked them for an assessment of the climate crisis. See report in full below.

A sobering thought to end this introduction

Welcome back to Susan (website and our Northern Facebook group) from her well-deserved break.

Have a good week ahead.

News

Radical change is needed to reduce ‘crazy’ weather conditions, scientists warn

Torrential rains triggered flash floods in Aurdal, Norway, August 2023

The “crazy” episodes that the planet is already facing are just the “tip of the iceberg” compared to the “even worse effects that are yet to come”, they claim.

Scientists highlighted the difficulty in anticipating extreme weather events, which are, by definition, rare. They argue that weather models are changing very quickly which leaves the world “partly flying blind” towards an increasingly unpredictable future.

“July was the hottest month in human history and people across the world are suffering the consequences,” says Professor Piers Forster of the University of Leeds in the UK. “But this is what we would expect at this level of warming. This will be the average summer for 10 years unless the world cooperates and puts climate action at the top of the agenda.”

“The impacts are frighteningly more shocking than I – and many climate scientists I know – expected,” stresses Professor Krishna AchutaRao of the Indian Institute of Technology.

Christophe Cassou, CNRS researcher at Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III in France, adds that “changes in [climate] risks have not been underestimated on a global scale. But the impacts, yes, were underestimated because we are much more vulnerable than we thought – our vulnerability is slapping us in the face”.

In 2023, temperatures are at historic highs and wildfires continue to devour millions of hectares of forest around the world, from North America to Europe and Asia. That’s why “we now feel that climate change is emerging above the normal climate” says Cassou.

Has the turning point already happened?

Scientists believe that the planet has not yet passed the tipping point for runaway climate change. But Rein Haarsma, of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, warns that that moment is approaching. “The extremes we see happening now could induce tipping points, such as the collapse of the Atlantic meridional circulation and the melting of the Antarctic ice sheets, which have devastating impacts.”

However, scientists say that a “small window” of opportunity remains open to avoid the worst of the climate crisis, and they point the finger at the use of fossil fuels.

“We need to stop burning fossil fuels”, reiterates Friederike Otto, from Imperial College London. He says it is imperative: “Now. This is not a time to allow companies to continue to make as much money as possible”.

Also joined by the critical voice of Emily Shuckburgh, from the University of Cambridge, UK: “Anyone who in any way perpetuates the fossil fuel age is firmly on the wrong side of history”.

“Knowing that we will look back on today’s extreme events as soft on what’s in our future is truly alarming,” adds Andrea Dutton of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. And she leaves a clear message: “The speed with which we make this transition will define the future we will have.”

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 23rd August 2023.

 

From floods in Chili, British Colombia, to wild fire in Greece, Tenerife and Canada to name but a few, it appears that we are seeing the impacts of extreme weather from many different countries at present.

We have been covering some of these events mainly in our Safe Communities Portugal Protection against Natural Disasters Group, as it is important to remember that these event do not stop at national borders or within regions, so the weather conditions say in the USA or Canada can be replicated elsewhere including Portugal. What can make a difference however is the risk reduction measures that are in place and how that can reduce the impact, such as the number of casualties. An example I would give of this is the reduction in risk by the cleaning of land, and how that helps reduce fires reaching properties.

Simple things like understanding more about the risk of fires, how they can burn with greater intensity and how they spread, are all things that we should be more aware off, simply because that means we are more prepared and can take the appropriate action accordingly. It is also important that children are aware so they themselves can see the warning signs, perhaps ahead of their parents.

When travelling overseas it is important to also be aware of the risks, and the contact points in case of emergencies. Put this on the check list before you go on holiday and if you are staying in a rural property ensure that it affords some protection from fires.

In the case of rural fires in Portugal there have been xx over the last xx days, which are facilitated by weather extremes but nearly all have a human cause, as the minister of International administration said yesterday, over two thirds of these are caused by negligence; namely not following the rules that are in place.

In response to the recent fires, 300 more operatives have been made available and pair of amphibious Fire Boss aircrafts – will be, until October 31st, pre-positioned in Portugal, in Castelo Branco.

We are now in a heatwave that will last for the next few days and on Mondays 33 weather stations registered temperatures of over 40C, increasing to xx yesterday. Of course it is much hotter in the sun, so everyone needs to be careful by not over exercising, and in particular those who undertake physical work outdoors. Take regular beaks, try and work in shaded areas if possible and of course drink water regularly 1.5 litres a day recommended by the health authority, to avoid dehydration.  Most important is care of young children and avoiding direct exposure to the sun.

Communicating key messages about being prepared is extremely important and I would like to that Owen Gee KissFm for allowing us air time on Sunday mornings to do precisely this. Feed-back is very positive and I hope that people have become more Fire Wise, in part, from listening to the advice given. We are now in our 13^th year on Solid Gold Sunday and we thank those for listening in.

I mentioned earlier our new Facebook group and am pleased to announce as of this morning we have no less than 2000 members in a period of just 45 days since it was launched! Our Safe Communities team are delighted with this response as apart from the numbers, members are showing great interest in the subject of preparedness, which is the key message that government is trying to get across at present. Also encouraging is members sharing their own experiences and knowledge which is fundamental in developing greater resilience to natural hazards. So a big thank you.

Our team wishes you a good week ahead.

News:

Fire caused damage of 5.5 ME and destroyed 5,315 hectares in Proença-a-Nova

Proença-a-Nova, Castelo Branco, 22 Aug 2023 (Lusa) – The fire that broke out on the 4th in the municipality of Castelo Branco and which progressed to Proença-a-Nova caused damages of 5.5 million euros in the latter municipality and destroyed 5,315 hectares of forest.

“Despite all the work we have done, this fire affected an area of ​​5,315 hectares which, after a survey carried out by the municipal services, totaled damages worth 5,550,297 euros”, announced the mayor of Proença-a- New, Joao Lobo.

According to this mayor of the Castelo Branco district, the calculated value is divided into three fundamental areas: needs for post-fire emergency stabilization interventions – 2,683,576 euros, plus intervention on paved roads – 1,696,448 euros.

The affected municipal equipment totals 169,306 euros and private property, 1,000,966 euros.

For now, the executive informed the Chamber, on Monday, of the 6th Amendment to the Budget and Major Options of the Plan, “a new item having been created for immediate support to the population in the amount of 90 thousand euros”.

The municipal executive also announced that he will send the request for support to the Government to operationalize all the expenses presented.

Among the losses, there is the investment necessary to recover the affected infrastructure, to control erosion, to treat and protect slopes, to prevent contamination and silting and to recover water lines.

Public infrastructure, such as signs for pedestrian routes, enduro tracks, hang gliding tracks, via ferrata, road signs, containment of damage to biodiversity and private property, including animals, fruit trees, irrigation pipes , haystacks and agricultural attachments, utensils, agricultural tools and machinery, animal feed are also accounted for.

João Lobo highlighted the importance of cleaning the 100 meters of the protection strip for population settlements and the pioneering spirit of the municipality of Proença-a-Nova in creating regulations for the conversion of forest areas into agricultural areas in 2018, for fuel management areas in the 100 meters around the population centers.

Currently, the municipality has carried out eight interventions of “Condomínios de Aldeia” and has a further eight operations in the pipeline.

“We still have approved four AIGP (Integrated Landscape Management Areas), which total an area of ​​about 7,200 hectares”, underlined the mayor.

The fire that broke out on the 4th in the municipality of Castelo Branco progressed to the municipality of Proença-a-Nova and entered the resolution phase after two days.

According to the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF), the rural fires registered in Odemira and Castelo Branco in early August represent more than half of the total area burned in Portugal in 2023.

According to the most recent statistics from the ICNF, which account for the first half of August, Portugal has registered since January 1 of this year 27,802 hectares of burned area and 6,085 rural fires, which translates into the second lowest value in number of fires and fourth in terms of area burned since 2013.

The fire that broke out in São Teotónio, in the municipality of Odemira, on August 5, is the biggest recorded in Portugal this year, consuming at least 7,530 hectares of land, while the fire registered in Sarzedas, municipality of Castelo Branco, also this month, led to a total of 6,553 hectares of burned area.