Category: Uncategorized

FLOOD WARNING

The Águeda City Council has already warned the population that floods may occur in the city’s downtown, due to the foreseeable rise in the water level of the river that runs through the city.

“We have already made this warning that there may be a flood in the city center so that people can take proper care to protect their assets,” Mayor Jorge Almeida told Lusa.

ROADS

The fall of a tree in Montijo, Setúbal district, killed the driver of a heavy vehicle on Thursday, said the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), which has already counted 2,941 occurrences due to bad weather.

On the two bridges – Vasco da Gama and 25 de Abril – the circulation of heavy vehicles with awnings and motorcycles is still prohibited.

The main road of the Sintra Mountains, between the Azoia and Portela and Portela Capuchos intersections , was closed Thursday due to heavy rainfall and wind intensity, the Sintra Chamber said.

The Sintra Chamber also decided to close the Kingdom of Christmas to the public, taking into account the weather conditions.

RAILWAYS

On the Northern Line: The fall of a tree over the catenary is conditioning circulation in both directions. Between V. Figueira and Santarém the circulation is made in a single way;

In the Beira Alta line: the section between Luso and Morttágua is cut due to the lack of tension in the catenary, a situation under evaluation. In the section between Pinhel and Guarda, the fall of a barrier interrupted pasage, and the situation is almost resolved;

In the Vouga line: circulation is suspended between Macinhata and Sernada;

In the Alentejo line: there is a train immobilized in the section between Moita and Barreiro due to the presence of debris in the pantograph, the structure that feeds the train with electricity. Therefore the passage is only one way.

On the 25 de Abril Bridge: Winds above 79 km / h may restrict movement of trains.

SEA LINKS

River connections between the Setubal Peninsula and Lisbon are suspended Thursday afternoon due to “worsening weather”, Transtejo / Soflusa announced.

“Due to the worsening of weather conditions, at this time, for safety reasons, are suspended all river connections of Transtejo and Soflusa, except Cacilhas,”.

ELECTRICITY

The regular supply of electricity was interrupted today “in thousands of homes” due to bad weather, with Viana do Castelo, Braga, Porto and Vila Real being the most affected districts, EDP Distribuição announced.

The Public Security Police (PSP) reported today that they seized since September 22 in Madeira a total of 729 illegal firearms and 522 ammunition of various calibers.

The note issued by the Madeira Regional Command reminds that that day came into force the Legal Regime of Arms and Ammunition, which grants a deadline of 180 days for the delivery of illegal weapons.

As for the typology of seized weapons, 334 are long fires, 159 short fires, 16 compressed air and firearm reproductions, 214 white and six are aerosols. There are 522 ammunition learned.

In addition, “27 firearms and one alarm were voluntarily handed over,” says PSP.

All weapons were transferred to Lisbon “for their destruction” in collaboration with the Portuguese Navy.

The PSP also mentions that the Center for Weapons and Explosives of the Regional Command of Madeira carried out 13 inspections of the act of veneration and one to a firing range in the region, having identified 230 citizens with license and weapon possession.

The PSP stresses that “all citizens who may have illegal or offensive weapons” must surrender without criminal repercussion or legalize their licensing status, particularly in the case of weapons of deceased relatives or purchase and sale declarations. not delivered on time, “thus benefiting from the non-imposition of a fine”.

The gun law was enacted on July 24 by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and limits the number of firearms each person can have at home.

The law, passed with the abstention of the People-Animals-Nature (PAN) party and no votes against, restricts the number of weapons that hunters, for example, can have at home and sets a deadline to resolve the issue of surpluses.

The law was the result of the committee discussion of a Government bill and bills from the PCP, Left Block, The Greens and PAN Ecologist Party.

GNR recorded 10 crimes related to abuse and pet abandonment, seized 68 animals and accused one person during a surveillance operation, the corporation said today.

The Republican National Guard, through the Nature and Environment Protection Service (SEPNA), carried out, between November 25th and December 6th, all over the country, a set of pet control actions aimed at improving the quality of life and welfare of animals.

In a statement of the operation “Legal Friends 2019”, the GNR said that it recorded five crimes of abuse of pet animals and five other crimes of abandonment, in addition to the seizure of 68 animals, 11 people identified and a defendant.

During the 12 days of the operation, that security force also detected 147 offenses for lack of registration, vaccination and electronic identification.

The GNR underlines that Christmas is a time prone to the purchase of pets, and as such, is the right time to “alert and raise awareness of the care that pets require, thus acting pre-emptively on a theme that demonstrates a growing interest and concern among the population.”

Operation “Legal Friends 2019” mobilized several military commands, in particular from the SEPNA structure and criminal investigation, who paid special attention to crimes of mistreatment and abandonment of pet animals, as well as illegal fighting between animals, offenses. In total, GNR inspected 1,051 animals.

DECO, the Consumer Protection Association, has tested seven red lipsticks, brands for sale in perfumeries, cosmetics and health stores and supermarkets. It found “traces of lead in everyone, albeit at levels below the technically avoidable limit,” reads a statement from that organization.

“In three lipsticks, we also detected MOAH (aromatic hydrocarbons of mineral oils). In view of this, DECO advises against the use of the following lipsticks:

Avril Le Rouge Hollywood 598,

Mac Retro Matte Ruby Woo 707 and

Kiko Kikoid Velvet Passion 05 Burgundy.

According to Deco, Avril lipstick, according to the labelling information, says it does not use ingredients derived from mineral oils and is certified by Ecocert as a “natural” and “biological” product. However, traces of MOAH were found, whose “mere presence is reason to advise against a product”.

“Kiko and Mac also contain MOSH and POSH in quantities greater than those considered safe, the former not even complying with the industry’s own recommendations (Cosmetics Europe),” says DECO. “Maybelline reveals acceptable levels of these substances, but it contributes to the cocktail effect, that is, to overall exposure to them,” he adds.

“The test results apply to the products indicated, not to the full line of brand lipsticks,” explains DECO. “The dyes vary with the shade of lipstick and thus the concentrations of the substances researched, particularly lead, may vary,” adds Consumer Protection.

“We reported the findings to Infarmed, who controls cosmetics,” adds DECO. “Although the quantities of substances of concern are lower than those found in other lipstick tests we have performed, they are still of concern,” they argue.

A Police Eagle helicopter, rescue helicopter, and NZDF aircraft have undertaken a number of aerial reconnaissance flights over the island since the eruption. No signs of life have been seen at any point.

Police believe that anyone who could have been taken from the island alive was rescued at the time of the evacuation. Based on the information we have, we do not believe there are any survivors on the island.

Police is working urgently to confirm the exact number of those who have died, further to the five confirmed deceased already.

As part of the recovery a NZDF ship will approach the perimeter of the island at first light to deploy drones and observational equipment to further assess the environment.

Police continue to receive information and advice from GeoNet experts to support the recovery operation. The Police Disaster Identification (DVI) team are assembling in Whakatane to await deployment.

Both New Zealanders and overseas tourists are believed to involved, and a number were from the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship. The Police 105 number can be used by members of the public to submit information regarding friends or family who might have been visiting White Island during the eruption.

People from overseas can call +64 9105 105.

They can also use the online form at the Police website here.

At the request of New Zealand Police, New Zealand Red Cross has activated the Family Links website for people wanting to register themselves as safe or register an inquiry about a loved one.

If you are worried about a friend or family member following the White Island eruption, first contact them as you normally would.

If you cannot make contact, you can register them through this website: https://familylinks.icrc.org/new-zealand/en/Pages/Home.aspx(link is external)

The friends and family of those involved remain at front of mind for Police.

Support is being put in place and Police are working to provide them with information as it becomes available.

 

 

The death toll on Portuguese roads fell between January 1 and November 30 compared to the same period of the previous year, but the number of accidents and serious injuries rose, according to official provisional data.

According to the latest report by the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR) for 11 months, 435 people died on the roads, 21 fewer than in the same period of the previous year (456).

Between January 1 and November 30 of this year, 122,322 accidents were recorded, 1,572 more than in the same period of the previous year (120,750).

In the same period, there were 2.045 severely injured people, 107 more than in the 11 months of 2018.

The MRSR also indicates that 38,332 people suffered minor injuries, 647 more than in the same period last year (37,685).

The figures from the ANSR, which gathers data from GNR and PSP, also highlights that in the last week of November (22-30 November) six people died and 48 were seriously injured following road accidents.

Between January 1st and November 30th this year, the district with the highest death toll was Porto (53), followed by Lisbon (43), Braga (34), Aveiro and Santarém (both with 32).

The district of Lisbon was the district with the most serious injuries (289), followed by Porto (209) and Faro (206).

Data from the MRSR also indicate that between December 1, 2018 and November 30, 2019, 487 road fatalities were recorded (19 fewer than December 1, 2017 to November 30, 2018) while serious injuries rose to 2,248 (plus 108).

ANSR data refer to deaths occurring at the scene of the accident or during transportation to the health facility and the figures for serious injuries refer to the accident victim whose bodily injury requires a hospitalization period of more than 24 hours.

A man in his 30s died Saturday in Ribeira Brava, west of Madeira, when he was hit by a construction machine, a local fire brigade source said.

“We moved two cars and five elements, but when the first car arrived we found that there was nothing left to do,” the same source told Lusa.

The incident occurred in the morning According to firefighters, the machine is said to have fallen from a platform in a site where work is underway, hitting the man.

According to the Firefighters of Ribeira Brava and Ponta do Sol, the incident occurred at the site of Ribeira, parish of Tábua

Audrey Mash developed severe hypothermia while hiking in Catalan Pyrenees in freezing weather

A British woman suffered a cardiac arrest during a snowstorm and was revived six hours later — the longest case ever seen in Spain. Doctors said the hypothermia that nearly killed her also saved her life. … By the evening, her body temperature had risen to 30C and doctors were able to revive her using a defibrillator

She and her husband, Rohan Schoeman – who live in Barcelona – set out from Coma de Vaca to Núria on the morning of 3 November. Around lunchtime, after the temperature dropped and it began to snow, Schoeman noticed that his wife was speaking oddly and becoming incoherent.

Shortly afterwards, she stopped moving and fell unconscious. He rang friends, who helped firefighters and rescuers locate them and launch a helicopter rescue operation. But bad weather delayed the rescue and by the time they reached the pair, it was 3.30pm

“Our first assessment suggested that Audrey was in a bad way,” said one of the rescuers, Pere Serral. “We couldn’t find any vital signs and we did what we could using pre-hospital techniques.”

By that point, Mash had severe hypothermia and her body temperature had fallen to just 18C; normal body temperature is 37C. She was then taken by helicopter to the Vall d’Hebron hospital in Barcelona, which has an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine (Ecmo).

When connected to a patient, the Ecmo takes over the functioning of the heart and lungs, oxygenating the blood outside the body then reintroducing it, allowing both organs to rest.

The Ecmo had never been used in Spain for a resuscitation procedure. But by 9.45pm, Mash’s body temperature had risen to 30C and the doctors tried again to revive her, using a defibrillator.

Dr Eduardo Argudo said doctors at the hospital had decided to use the machine “to win some time so that her brain could receive oxygen while we treated the cause of the cardiac arrest”.

He added: “Although hypothermia was about to kill Audrey, it also saved her because her body – and above all her brain – didn’t get any worse. If she’d been in cardiac arrest for that long with a normal body temperature, we’d have been certifying her death. But we knew that the severe hypothermia meant that we had a shot at saving her thanks to the Ecmo.”

Argudo said that while hers was the longest instance of cardiac arrest survival documented in Spain, similar cases had occurred in the Alps and in Scandinavia.

Mash, who is 34, spent six days in the intensive care unit, where doctors monitored her for signs of neurological damage.

“I’m good but a little surprised by all the attention it’s got today – it must be a slow news week,” she told the Guardian on Thursday evening.

“I recovered much faster than I, or I think the doctors, expected. I was out of intensive care after six days and out of hospital six days after that. The doctors have since told me that they expected me to be in intensive care for closer to a month.”

Mash, an English teacher who has lived in Barcelona for more than two years, said she was getting back to normal and that the ordeal had not put her off hiking.

 

According to Funchal airport authority, 13 departure flights have so far been already been cancelled for today 5^th December due to high winds. This is also reflected in flights to Funchal some of which have also be cancelled

TAP has cancelled a number of flights as they plan ahead, and a gust on 108 km/hr at the airport last night caused an EasyJet flight to return to Lisbon.

Porto Santo Line has announced that the ferry scheduled for today, inbound and outbound, will be cancelled “due to bad weather conditions that could jeopardize the safety of the ship and its passengers”. Tickets scheduled for this date will be automatically transferred to the 6th December trip, at 8 am from Funchal to Porto Santo and 2 pm from Porto Santo to Funchal.

The IPMA has issued an Orange level high winds warning until 5^TH December at 1500 hrs and in some areas 2100 hrs and Civil Protection Madeira has advised:

• Close doors and windows and remove loose objects on the balconies and pecs of the windows;
• Wherever possible, avoid travel to areas affected by this type of weather situation.
  do not move through areas with poorly maintained buildings due to the risk of landslides;
• Pay attention to mounted structures (Scaffolding, awnings, tents, roofs), which could be affected by stronger winds as well as a possibility of falling trees;
• There are risks if hiking, especially in mountain areas, exposed slopes and coastal areas, and people should take care in outdoor activities during the period in which the warning is applied.

 

More than 90% of mainland Portugal’s municipalities have “effective and up-to-date” Municipal Fire Protection Plans (PMDFCI), the Minister of Internal Affairs announced on 4^th December today, saying that Portuguese can rely on “good results”.

“The Portuguese can rely on the results, these two years – 2018 and 2019 – account for the results, […] good laws, good plans are needed, but above all good results are needed and that’s why we respond,” said Eduardo Cabrita at the presentation ceremony of the first Republican National Guard (GNR) ranger course, held in Queluz, Sintra, in the Lisbon district.

According to the information provided in the infoPMDFCI online application of the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), 59 of the 278 municipalities in mainland Portugal do not have updated PMDFCI in force.

However, the minister assured that, “today, over 90% of the continent’s municipalities have effective and up-to-date plans.”

“But I would say that, in this matter, what is fundamental is the collective conscience, is the commitment of means, that alone will guarantee the results,” said Eduardo Cabrita.

Mandatory for all municipalities on the Portuguese mainland, the PMDFCI aims to operationalize at local and municipal level the standards contained in the DFCI legislation.

As part of an audit of the PMDFCI, which analysed 278 municipalities in mainland Portugal, from 2015 to 2017, the Court of Auditors concluded that 32 municipalities do not undertake to carry out the actions contained in the PMDFCI. Therefore “the fact is that the existence of PMDFCI does not, by itself, guarantee greater capacity in forest defence, although it allows the fulfillment of an obligation and attesting to a compliance status that has an impact on municipal funding.”

From the perspective of the head of the Internal Affairs portfolio, Portuguese society realized that DFCI is a theme that “demands a response throughout the year, requires knowledge, requires preparation”, stating that “if something has changed in Portuguese society, over the last two years, it has been the priority given to prevention.”

“If the results of these two years were encouraging in reducing the burned area, but especially in saving lives, I think that what has changed is the deep commitment of all public policy sectors, also the municipalities, who have realized that this is an essential area, even as first-line civil protection officials, ”said the minister, considering that in view of the“ good results ”one cannot but“ maintain this absolute priority ”.

On August 16 this year, the Government ordered the retention of 20% of the twelfth of transfers from the Financial Balance Fund to Odivelas, Paços de Ferreira and Peniche because they have not yet approved the PMDFCI.

A note from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) stated that the withholding would be made by the Directorate-General of Local Authorities.

According to the current wording of Decree-Law No. 124/2016, municipalities are required to draft, execute, evaluate and update the PMDFCI.

In addition, the MAI said in a statement at the time, the State Budget for 2019 determined that “failure to comply with this standard by 31 March 2019 will result in the retention of 20% of the twelfth of current ETF transfers”.

“After the legal deadlines for pronouncing the municipalities, and having not been answered in any of the three cases, regarding the submission of their plans to the ICNF, the retention was determined,” said the MAI.

At that time, the Government indicated that the “clarification phase for 19 municipalities with the participation of ICNF” was still underway.