Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 27th March 2024
Good morning. We have experienced a very changeable week since our last weekly report starting with a massive dust storm originating from the Saharan Desert which moved into Europe. The storm reached the Spanish Canary Islands and the Iberian Peninsula, bringing hazy, orange skies. In Portugal, the Directorate-General of Health issued an air quality warning and recommended limiting time outdoors. In some of the affected areas, rain combined with dust caused orange-coloured “mud rain”. This was combined with temperatures well above average reaching 30C in the far north of the mainland, warmer than the Algarve.
All this changed overnight Monday/Tuesday with the arrival of a polar air mass resulting in a drop in temperatures in excess of 15C and on Tuesday the issue of various IPMA Weather warnings including for snow affecting 11 districts. Currently there are orange level warnings in place for 10 districts for rough seas. The ANEPC has issued warnings and has given advice regarding how to keep safe, which we shared. We emphasise the importance of following this advice, particularly avoiding getting to close to shorelines, where there are strong winds carrying beach debris that can be swept in high waves onto coastal roads/promenades etc.
With the abundance of snow and ice on roads in the centre and north please take particular care on the roads. The ANEPC has issued safety advice on this subject, which we have shared – please follow this in order to reduce accidents.
We would like to that Civil Protection Albufeira for organising the really excellent “Albufeira Civil Protection Knowledge Fair” held on 21st to 23rd March. This was well planned and the quality of the exhibits were first class. With a wide range of presentations including our own from Safe Communities, this was an excellent “learning opportunities” for local communities attending the Fair. There were many school groups of various ages, who visited the stands and good opportunity therefore for Safe Communities Portugal to explain our work to the younger generation.
Our next event will be on 6th April 2024 where we will be attending the Plant Fair being held at the Sao Bras Museu, in Sao Bras, from 1000 hrs to 1800 hrs. We are pleased to be invited to this as it comes at a time when those in rural areas need to clean land, the deadline being 30th April. We look forward therefore to meeting people and answering the various questions. I cannot emphasise the importance of land cleaning, especially in priority areas, where the fire risk is particularly high. Land cleaning is proven as one of the most important ways to reduce the risk of fires reaching your home.
A man and a woman of French nationality, aged 58 and 56 respectively, have been missing since this Sunday in Calhau, in São Vicente, Madeira. In addition there have been two tourists injured whilst walking, as well as two German tourists who lost their way yesterday in the mountains of São Vicente, North Coast. In this case the alert was given to the Volunteer Firefighters of São Vicente and Porto Moniz. The rescue was therefore carried out under wind and rain, but it was a third factor – the fog – that precipitated the disorientation of these two tourists, who were lost for approximately three hours. The German women were always in contact with the authorities, who located them using the GPS coordinates of their mobile devices. It is very important when trail walking to check the weather conditions and inform friends/relatives where you are going. This applies equally to the Azores where there haven similar incidents.
A reminder of our survey. As a resident of Portugal, we are exposed to the risk not only of wildfires, but also earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural hazards. These can have disastrous effects, causing massive losses and damage. While practitioners, such as national authorities at all levels, and non-governmental organizations and associations, are working together to minimize the impacts of these risks, these efforts to build a more resilient society are limited if the local population is not aware of and involved in disaster risk management.
To help with this a survey has been developed by Kirsten Cook, who has a background in wildfire preparedness, in which Safe Communities Portugal would like to learn about your concerns, level of preparedness, and ideas to become more aware and prepared for natural hazards. Please take a few minutes to fill in this survey and help us evaluate the readiness of residents of Portugal to cope with natural hazards and reducing the impacts of such disasters. The results will be shared with Civil Protection and made public. If you have not completed please kindly do so here: Please ONLY complete if you own or rent a property in Portugal
https://forms.gle/aaZQCCkL9Xf53Dgo9
Our team at Safe Communities wishes you a safe and enjoyable week ahead.
News
The year 2023 was the second hottest ever in Portugal according to the IPMA report
The year 2023 was the second hottest on record in Portugal, with seven heat waves occurring, according to the annual climate bulletin from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).
According to the document released today, only the year 2022 was hotter than 2023, with last year the average annual air temperature reaching 16.59 °C (degrees Celsius), 1.04 °C higher than the normal value in 1981 -2010.
The average maximum air temperature was the second highest since 1931 and the minimum temperature was the ninth highest.
Heat waves occurred in spring (three), summer (also three) and autumn (one).
As for precipitation, the year 2023 had the ninth lowest value since 2000. The total annual precipitation, 735.8 millimetres, was lower than the normal value (1981-2010) with an anomaly of minus 105.7 millimetres.
In 2023, 30 new precipitation extremes were recorded, 13 monthly extremes in October and 17 daily extremes (January and October).
The year was also one of extremes in terms of high temperatures, with nine absolute daily extremes in August of maximum temperature, but also in the same month of August an absolute extreme of minimum temperature.
The year 2023 in mainland Portugal was classified, according to the IPMA document, as extremely hot in relation to air temperature and dry in relation to precipitation.
The winter on the continent was very warm in terms of air temperature and rainy in terms of precipitation. The spring was extremely hot and dry, being the second hottest spring since 1931 (only 1997 was hotter).
The summer was very hot in terms of air temperature and normal in terms of precipitation. It was the sixth hottest summer in the last 93 years. And the autumn was very warm and rainy, being the fourth warmest in the last 93 years and the new wettest.
Regarding drought, 30 to 40% of the territory was in severe and extreme drought between the months of April and August, covering the southern region.
More than 250 arrests between Friday and Monday in the PSP Easter operation
Lisbon, 26 March 2024 (Lusa) – The Public Security Police (PSP) made 264 arrests, 125 of which were for road crimes and 70 for driving under the influence of alcohol between Friday and Monday as part of “Operation Easter in safety”.
In a statement, the PSP said that of the 264 arrests, 55 were due to lack of driving license.
Since Friday, the day the operation began, and until Monday, 28 suspects were arrested for drug trafficking, with more than 3,607 individual doses seized. 16 arrests were also made for crimes against property (fraud, theft and robbery).
During that period, eight firearms and six bladed weapons were also seized, either as a precautionary measure or following the five arrests made for possession of prohibited weapons.
As part of the operation, the PSP inspected 10,731 drivers throughout the territory and controlled 23,431 by radar. Of these, 298 were speeding.
In total, 1,927 administrative offenses were recorded, of which 48 were for driving under the influence of alcohol, 205 for lack of mandatory periodic inspection, 70 for lack of civil liability insurance, 54 for using a cell phone while driving and 27 for not wearing a safety belt.
Regarding road accidents, between Friday and Monday, in the PSP’s area of responsibility, 509 accidents were recorded, resulting in 148 minor injuries and seven serious injuries, with no fatalities recorded.
In the note, the PSP again appeals to citizens to drive safely, adapting their driving to the weather conditions and the characteristics of the road. Also remember that driving at excessive speed is one of the main causes of road accidents
A new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a United Nations agency, shows that records have been broken, and in some cases “pulverized,” in terms of greenhouse gas levels, surface temperatures, heat content and ocean acidification, sea level rise, extension of the Antarctic ice sheet and retreat of glaciers.
Among the main conclusions of the global report, it is highlighted that only seven countries complied with the WHO’s annual directive (Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand), that a third of the population in Africa does not have access to data on air quality, that PM2.5 concentrations have increased in almost all Southeast Asian countries, and that the 10 most polluted cities in the world are in Asia.
Although the exact cause is unknown this is a reminder to regularly check your cylinders and gas tubes if you use them. How long has it been since you’ve checked or replaced the tube that takes gas from the bottle to the stove or BBQ? There are rules and concerning the use of gas cylinders as such equipment are the causes every year for many accidents and risks in kitchens and housing. For instance flexible rubber tubes must comply with the requirements set out in standard NP 4436 and must not exceed 1.5 meters in length. And are valid for five years from the date of manufacture and must be assembled so as to: not come into contact with the hot parts of the equipment; not subject to the action of flames or combustion products and not cross the back of the stove. Ensure your safety and that of everyone who lives under your roof, follow the rules described and check the pipe connection regularly.
The Graça Funicular, which will connect this Lisbon neighbourhood to Mouraria, was inaugurated this Tuesday, 15 years after it began construction, leading to an overrun of the initial budget by 7 million euros. The inauguration was in charge of the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, who highlighted the importance of the work for the residents of Graça and Mouraria, who had been waiting for the funicular since 2009 because the project “was at a standstill”.
I hope you were able to attend one of the civil protection day events that were held throughout on the country on 1stMarch. Safe Communities Portugal was at the one held in Quarteira, an event that received many visitors. If you did not, there are plenty more opportunities as throughout the country, during the month of March, the Regional and Sub-regional Emergency and Civil Protection Commands mark the date, promoting, in partnership with the Humanitarian Firefighter Associations, Municipal Civil Protection Services and other Civil Protection Agents, activities for different audiences, such as simulations, exhibitions and/or days of reflection, focusing on a decentralized celebration, closer to the citizen, thus highlighting the crucial role that the local level plays in the national civil protection system and in the coordination of efforts between all agents in order to face increasingly complex challenges.
Monitoring this subject, there does appear to be a number of widespread scams/frauds mainly through text messaging and emails, ranging from AT (tax authority), calls in English from someone pretending to police saying you are under investigation; the purchase and sale of vehicles, property rental fraud, EDP scams etc. There are many of these around and it is important to check carefully before clicking on and links or providing personal information. Remember if an offer appears too good to be true then it is likely a scam!
The expedition brings together 22 researchers from five nationalities on board the Merian , on one of the most sophisticated research ships.