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The magnitude of the Lisbon Earthquake may not have been as high as has been estimated so far. The devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Portugal on All Saints’ Day in 1755 would have been in Richter’s 7.7 degrees, below the nearly consensual 8.5 to 8.9%.

This conclusion is evident in a study by João Duarte Fonseca of the Instituto Superior Técnico of the New University of Lisbon, which has now been published in the newsletter of the Seismological Society of America.

For the Portuguese researcher, who for years has been paying attention to the Lisbon Earthquake and has published many on the subject, the location of the epicenter was on the southwest coast of the Iberian Peninsula and earthquake faults may also have occurred.

To reach this conclusion, he used macro seismic data from Portugal, Spain and Morocco. This re-evaluation may have implications for the seismic hazard map, João Duarte Fonseca   said in the publication of the American society that is dedicated to seismology.

“While the current official map assigns the highest level of risk to southern Portugal, gradually decreasing to the north, the interpretation presented now concentrates the risk in the Greater Lisbon area ,” said João Duarte Fonseca.

The 1755 earthquake, along with the fires that spread throughout the city, is considered one of the most important events in seismic history, leading to the deaths of about 20,000 people, although there are higher estimates.

The 1755 earthquake is seen as unusual as it has caused extreme damage hundreds of miles from its epicentre. “The explanations given for extreme damage in Lisbon tend to invoke an unusually low attenuation of seismic energy as the waves move away from the epicenter, something that should not be observed anywhere else in the world,” the seismologist explained. “Current attempts to harmonize seismic risk assessment across Europe face major discrepancies in this region that need to be investigated for better risk mitigation and management through building codes and land use planning.”

The new magnitude estimate for the 1755 earthquake is similar to that of another major regional earthquake, the magnitude 7.8 recorded in 1969 at the Gorringe Bank in the Atlantic. However, the damage caused by this earthquake was much less severe, in part because ground faults did not accumulate enough stress to make them “ready for rupture,” says João Duarte Fonseca.

Rain that fell during December led to a further easing of the drought, but 37.3% of mainland Portugal remains in this situation, according to data from IMPA

According to the drought weather index (PDSI) available today on IPMA website, of these 37.3%, only 3.5% is related to severe drought (eastern Algarve).

Data indicate that in December there was a worsening of the drought situation in mainland Portugal compared to November.

By the end of December however, the northern and central regions were no longer in a drought situation, due to severe and moderate rainfall in much of the north of Cape Mondego.

In the southern region, according to the IPMA, there was a significant easing of the weather drought situation, however, severe drought persisted in the eastern Algarve.

The institute classifies into nine classes the drought weather index, which ranges from “extreme rain” to “extreme drought”.

The report indicates that as of December 31, 2.7% of mainland Portugal was in severe rain, 31.8% in moderate rain, 18.7% in light rain;  24.8% in light drought, , 9.5% normal, 9% moderate drought, 3.5% in severe drought.

The institute classifies into nine classes the drought weather index, which ranges from “extreme rain” to “extreme drought”.

According to the IPMA, there are four types of drought: meteorological, agricultural, hydrological and socioeconomic.

Meteorological drought is directly linked to the rainfall deficit when rainfall is below normal.

Then, as the deficit widens over two, three months, it shifts to an agricultural drought because water deficiencies in the soil are beginning to develop.

If the situation persists, it will develop into hydrological drought, when there is a lack of water in the dams. There is also socioeconomic drought, which is considered when it already has an impact on the population.

In addition to the drought index, the IPMA Climate Bulletin also indicates that December was warm in relation to air temperature and rainy in precipitation.

According to the IPMA, the average value of average air temperature in mainland Portugal (10.99 degrees Celsius) was higher than the normal value by 1.02 degrees, being the third highest since 2000 (highest in 2015 and 2000).

Regarding rainfall, the IPMA indicates that the average amount of precipitation in December was higher than normal, corresponding to about 127% of the monthly normal value.

The IPMA points out that since 2010 there was no precipitation above normal in December.

Precipitation values ​​in the northern and central regions were much higher than the average value, with the highest values ​​recorded in Cabril, Bragança district, (528 mm), Penhas Douradas, Serra da Estrela, (473 mm), Guarda (466 mm) and Covilhã, district of Castelo Branco, (433 mm).

In the southern regions, rainfall was lower than normal, for example, the 47.9 mm of rainfall in Faro corresponds to about 40% of normal (115.6 mm).

On 2^nd January, Patricia Gasper Secretary of State for Internal Administration and David Thomas President Safe Communities Portugal met to discuss a number of matters concerning civil protection.

Patricia Gasper assumed the post under the new Government recently, being responsible for civil protection and road safety. Previously the post was Secretary of State for Civil Protection but this was changed to reflect a broader portfolio with the inclusion of road safety.

Included in the discussions were: public communication during crisis situations such as rural fires; location finding by the emergency services during crisis situations; civil protection and Safe Communities Portugal priorities; prevention and self-protection during rural fires and measures for AL rented accommodation under the Safe Village Safe People program.

These were matters that had been accorded priority with fast tracking where necessary before the main fire season. A strategic approach to communications was discussed.

Also discussed was the role of Civil Protection Volunteer Organisations, of which Safe Communities was one of nine as well as future collaboration and related issues.

In respect of road safety Patricia Gasper explained the priority that needs to be given to the main causes of serious road accidents and that the laws concerning issues such as drink driving and use of mobile phones whilst driving were currently under review.

In the framework of the above a number of ideas were discussed for further consideration

The Algarve and the municipality of Almodôvar, in Baixo Alentejo, are the places that will be most affected by the flu outbreak, which is spreading throughout the country this first week of the year, more precisely between the 1st and 8th.

The Center for Health Studies and Evaluation (CEFAR), of the National Pharmacy Association, predicts that the outbreak will reach grade 4 (high) in the Algarve region and in Almodôvar, so ‘greater turnout is expected’ at health services’.

“In the remaining continental territory and the Azores, the outbreak will reach grade 3 (moderate) in the first week of the year, but still with a tendency to increase new cases”, according to the National Association of Pharmacies.

These forecasts are based on the ‘Pharmacy Alarm Clock’, ‘barometer that anticipates flu activity from drug dispensing data’.

The “Pharmacy Alarm Clock” predicts flu activity, county by county, based on daily dispensing numbers for medicines and health products. The network of pharmacies serves, on average, 520 thousand people per day. This mass contact with the population makes it possible to anticipate the evolution of the epidemic by two weeks.

 

A man of foreign nationality, who is in Portugal solely for the purpose of “committing crimes against tourists

The detention of the 57-year-old man took place in the framework of policing and criminal investigation in the Ever-present Police Operation: Safe Parties 2019/2020, after carrying out two theft crimes on Saturday in Lisbon, the Lisbon Metropolitan Command of Lisbon reported. Public Security Police (Cometlis), in a statement.

At about 4:25 pm on Saturday, the suspect stole a suitcase that had a mobile phone and personal effects in the Saldanha area of ​​Lisbon, fleeing and eventually finding refuge in a hotel lobby.  There he then stole property from a guest who was checking in at the time,” PSP said, adding that “all these actions were carried out discreetly, without the victims noticing.”

With a special security program in these commercial areas, in view of the current time of year, PSP sent investigators to the occurrence of these thefts, who had information that pointed out that this was the suspect and “were able to quickly detect it inside the hotel. , immediately after the second theft was committed, eventually detaining him “.

According to the PSP, the man arrested for being suspected of theft of two thefts in Lisbon had been under investigation since September this year, so it was possible to correlate him with “10 thefts in total, nine of them in Lisbon hotels and one against tourists “, in which he raised assets worth about 13,000 euros.

“It was illicitly introduced into hotel check-in, dining, and transit areas, and taking advantage of the symptomatic frenzy of these areas subtracted suitcases and luggage from the people who settled there,” PSP explained.

The detained man “is known in Europe as an international pickpocket, specializing in this criminal activity, and is in our country with the sole purpose of committing crimes against tourists,” said the PSP, adding that the suspect has several records of crimes committed in several European countries, notably Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland and France.

Present in court, the man was remanded in custody.

Police authorities reported 11 deaths, including nine on mainland roads, due to road accidents, a number that increased due to bad weather between 18 and 25 December.

According to data released today at a joint press conference by GNR, PSP and the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), nine people died on the continent’s roads, representing a 57% decrease from last year (21 deaths).

The two fatalities that occurred in the Azores and Madeira do not fit the ANSR statistics.

Also the number of serious and minor injuries in Natal 2019 operation decreased, although there were more accidents, which deserved praise for the behavior of drivers by the president of ANSR, Rui Ribeiro.

“The decrease in victims shows responsible behavior on the part of drivers and we hope they will continue to do so until the end of the operation on January 5, allowing the numbers to continue to decline,” he said.

In the eight days of the Natal accident-fighting operation, police authorities reported 3,521 road accidents (334 more than last year), 39 serious injuries, compared with 46 in the same period of 2018, and 841 minor injuries, against 1,038 a year ago. year.

The authorities carried out 240,220 enforcement actions, including radar and 32,902 alcohol testing, for which 575 offenses (1.8%) and 205 arrests were detected due to the blood alcohol crime rate.

At the national level, these 240,220 inspections recorded 23,887 infractions and 331 driver arrests, as it included 205 for excess alcohol.

Over 15,000 speeding, 370 for alcohol abuse and 390 mobile phone violations were also detected.

According to Colonel Paulo Gomes, in the GNR action zone, 2,190 accidents were detected, causing seven deaths and 30 serious injuries.

However, he said, the most serious accidents are related to bad weather and not the relocation of families for the celebration of Christmas.

In the PSP area, according to quartermaster Nuno Carocha, 1,504 accidents were recorded, most of them due to speeding, non-compliance with priority rules and the use of mobile phones.

These accidents caused four deaths, 421 injured, including 14 serious.

The “Christmas and New Year” operation, which ends on January 5, has about 19,000 PSP and GNR members who will continue to supervise and patrol the Portuguese roads until the New Year in order to reduce road accidents. .

The flow rate of the Mondego River at the Coimbra bridge dam has exceeded the safety limits of 2000 cubic meters per second (m3 / s) at 9.30 hours.

In a statement to the Lusa agency, the Coimbra City Council, which cites information from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) sent to the Municipal Civil Protection, says that the river flow has a “rising trend over the next few hours, and the situation is very critical. ”

In the text, the municipality of Coimbra states that “a critical flood situation is expected”, recommending to the population to remain “in a state of permanent alert and to respect all indications of the authorities who are on the ground and their directions”.

The possibility of the critical flood situation arises from various factors: the Aguieira dam reservoir, upstream of Coimbra, on the Mondego River, is at 94% of its capacity, from the Fronhas dam on the Alva River, tributary of the Mondego, which is “at the maximum flood level” and “high flow rate of Ceira River”, another tributary of the left bank of the Mondego.

Meanwhile Coimbra’s suburban trains have been suspended on Saturday due to rising water levels, according to information released by an official source from Infrarastruras de Portugal (IP).

More than 250 people were removed from home due to the rising waters of the Mondego River in three villages of the municipality of Montemor-o-Velho, district of Coimbra, according to sources of the municipality and Civil Protection.

The Municipality that  “from the low, historically flood-sensitive zones” of the right bank of Mondego – Carapinheira, Montemor-o-Velho, Meças do Campo, Tentúgal and Ereira – “to preventive measures and self-protection due to the possibility of flooding, “although they are located farther from the main riverbed than the villages on the left bank.

In the notice, the municipality calls on residents of these localities to remain calm, vigilant and to convey “serenity to others”, to “list and collect important and necessary objects, such as identification documents and medicines” and to change the filling of the house. to the upper floors “by placing the most valuable objects at the highest points”.

Given the magnitude of the floods in Baixo Mondego, Emílio Torrão also said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) has made available a helicopter to assess the damage from the air, and the aircraft is expected to fly over the affected region, taking the mayors on board. of Montemor-o-Velho and Coimbra, the District Commander of Relief Operations (CODIS) and a technician of the Portuguese Environment Agency

Due to the state of emergency of the situations described that can occur in the next few hours in the municipality of coimbra, and since the emergency plan is activated, the evacuation of the housing internship center (Nomads Park), located in the pool, was ordered Next to the academic academy. The Evacuation of the municipal kennel, which is located in the choupal, has also been ordered, and the machinery of the garden and the municipal yard has been moved, having been moved to the parking to the municipal

It is also reported that the municipal civil protection commission is constantly in meeting and the means are all mobilised on the ground to deal with the events that may occur and ensure the safety of the population.

 

The number of displaced people due to the bad weather that has plagued mainland Portugal since Wednesday has risen to 77, with around 7,000 occurrences until 12:00 today, with two dead and one missing.

According to Pedro Nunes, commander of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), “By 12:00 there were 7,000 occurrences, involving 21,000 operations.”

The commander said that the most affected districts are Porto, Aveiro, Coimbra, Viseu, Braga and Lisbon, with most occurrences related to floods and tree falls.

Pedro Nunes also said that the flood plan for the Tagus basin was triggered and admitted the possibility of “cutting national and regional roads” in the Santarém district later in the day.

“Until 20:00 there should be a worsening of the weather, and then it is expected to begin to stabilize,” he said.

Pedro Nunes indicated the possibility of flooding in the Douro, with special attention to Régua and the mouth, on both banks, stating that the flows are “not stabilizing” and the situation “may worsen in the afternoon and evening”.

Regarding the Tâmega river, Pedro Nunes said that the flow rate dropped in the morning, but in Chaves and Amarante it could get worse again, “due to the precipitation and the incoming flows from Spain”.

“Regarding Águeda, both the Águeda river and Alfusqueiro presently have reduced flows due to precipitation and the expected runoff in the afternoon, and it is very possible that it will worsen, that is, flood again,” he explained. .

According to the commander, the situation with the Mondego river has been “manageable, with the flow rate at the limit”. Authorities are “concerned about the precipitation that will occur in the afternoon.”

Pedro Nunes also warned about the case of the Sorraia basin, since late afternoon / early evening floods can occur in Coruche.

According to information shared by the Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) during the briefing with the Civil Protection, at 14:00 mark the beginning of a “worsening weather for the Center region, for the strong and persistent precipitation variants being generally moderate, no longer with yesterday’s intensity ”, explained Pedro Nunes.

New outbreaks of heavy and persistent rain are expected, and the districts most affected by this situation are Aveiro, Coimbra, Leiria, Santarém and Lisbon by the end of the day. Castelo Branco and Portalegre may be added to this list.

Asked about the possibility of traffic conditions on the 25 de Abril Bridge and on the Tagus river crossing in the Lisbon region, Pedro Nunes stated that, taking into account the IPMA warnings, the wind blowing “is moderate, so this possibility is not foreseen ”.

“For us to understand, yesterday was considered strong to very strong, with gusts up to 100 kilometers / hour. Today the maximum gust is 70/80 kilometers / hour, ”he said.

The Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has today under orange warning (the second most serious) 12 districts of mainland Portugal and the northern coast of Madeira due mainly to the sea turbulence. Leiria, Santarém and Portalegre are under orange warning also due to forecasts of heavy precipitation in the afternoon.

The IPMA has warned of the effects of a new depression, called Fabien, which will hit Portugal on Saturday, especially the North and Center, with heavy rain and strong southwest winds expected, with gusts up to 90 km / hour in the south, north and central coast and 120 km / hour in the highlands.

About one hundred high and medium voltage lines are still inoperable due to the passage of the Elsa depression, with the districts of Viseu, Coimbra and Guarda being the most affected, according to EDP Distribuição.

GNR today began Operation “Christmas and New Year” by reinforcing road patrol on the country’s busiest roads in order to prevent accidents and ensure smooth traffic flow.

For the operation, which ends January 5, the Republican National Guard (GNR) will mobilize about 4,600 military personnel from the National Transit Unit and Territorial Commands daily to provide a safe journey for road users during the Christmas season and new Year.

From today onwards, the GNR will have “special concern for the risk behaviour of drivers” which sometimes gives rise to serious accidents.

The military will be “particularly alert” to speeding, dangerous manoeuvres, overtaking, changing direction and giving way, mobile phone use while driving, non-right-hand traffic on major and complementary highways and routes and use of seat belts.

In a statement, GNR advises drivers to carefully plan their trips, avoiding the end-of-day periods when traffic is expected, to rest properly before the journey and at least every two hours, or whenever they feel the need, make rest stops and adjust the speed to the weather conditions, the state of the road and the volume of road traffic.

That security force also suggests that people remain patient in situations of high traffic intensity, which may force you to travel at low speeds, and avoid manoeuvres that may result in traffic embarrassment or contribute to the occurrence of accidents.

More than 5,400 occurrences, mostly tree falls, have been reported in mainland Portugal since Wednesday, following bad weather, according to the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC).

According to ANEPC Commander Rui Laranjeira, between 15h00 on Wednesday and 23h00 on Thursday, 5,427 occurrences were recorded, 2,862 of which were tree falls, 906 structural falls and 1,152 were floods, which affected 17,260. operational.

“Porto remains the district with the highest number of occurrences (977), but there are a number of southern districts that had fewer occurrences and are now increasing,” namely Lisbon (450), Setúbal (311). ), Santarém (313) and Leiria (396), said the commander Rui Laranjeira.

The damage caused by the Elsa depression in EDP Distribuição’s power grid has already left 157 high and medium voltage lines out of service, the company said. According to a statement from the electric, Santarém, Coimbra, Viseu and Leiria were at 11 pm on Thursday the most affected districts.

The downtown of the city of Águeda, in the district of Aveiro, is flooded due to “brutal” discharges from the Ribeiradio Dam in the neighboring municipality of Sever do Vouga, a local source told Lusa.

Vodafone has mobile network service unavailable in some central and northern regions of the country due to power outages, the official source of the telecommunications operator told Lusa today.

The number who have died remains at two with one person missing. The number of homeless stands currently at 51 and the authorities have received 4200 calls for assistance in the last few hours.

A total of 12 districts will be under orange warning for precipitation, wind or rough seas at different times until Saturday,