Azores situation Report Wednesday 21st January 2026

 

By our correspondent in the Azores

Ponta Delgada Launches Emergency Centre and Rehabilitation Residence

The City Council of Ponta Delgada has entered into an agreement with the São João de Deus Institute to establish a Social Emergency Centre, which will accommodate up to 30 individuals. This new facility will offer essential services such as a cafeteria, hygiene amenities, and offices for psychosocial support, providing immediate assistance to those facing complex social challenges. Additionally, a rehabilitation residence is being created for 10 people who have completed addiction treatment, ensuring ongoing care from a specialized team in a supportive environment.

These initiatives reflect the municipality’s commitment to humane and sustainable solutions for issues like drug addiction. They are part of the Integrated Local Strategy to Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion, which outlines 71 actions across eight strategic objectives to be achieved by the end of the year.

In 2025, a mobile outreach team was formed to identify and assist individuals at risk of social exclusion, connecting them to appropriate services such as the Casa Manaias Project or regional health and social solidarity programs. This multidisciplinary team, including social service technicians, psychologists, and monitors, regularly visits areas with higher concentrations of vulnerable people.

The Casa Manaias Project is highlighted for its role in providing social, clinical, and occupational support to homeless individuals, as well as implementing the PDL Housing First Project, which promotes housing integration for homeless people with addiction and long-term dependencies.

Voter Turnout in the Azores: High Abstention Rates

Five out of the ten municipalities with the highest abstention rates in the recent presidential elections are located in the Azores. Ribeira Grande leads with a 64.5% abstention rate, followed by Melgaço (63.5%), Vila Franca do Campo (62.7%), Vimioso (61.9%), and Povoação (61.4%). Other Azorean municipalities with notable abstention rates include Santa Cruz da Graciosa (61%), Vila do Porto (60.9%), and Calheta (60.4%).

In contrast, Mação (Santarém) recorded the highest voter participation at 30.7%, with other municipalities such as Vila Nova de Famalicão, Oeiras, Constância, and Mafra also showing relatively low abstention rates.

Maritime Rescue Operation

The Portuguese Navy, through the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre of Ponta Delgada (MRCC Delgada), coordinated the rescue of an 80-year-old Swiss crew member from a sailboat off the coast of São Miguel. The individual suffered a leg fracture while sailing approximately 1,100 nautical miles south of São Miguel Island. Due to the vessel’s distance from the coast, a scientific research ship with paramedics was dispatched to assist, and the injured person was subsequently transported to a hospital in Trinidad and Tobago.

 

Safety and Security Report  – Azores, 8th January 2026

 

From our correspondent in the Azores

 

The Azores welcome 71 new doctors for general and specialist medical training.
A total of seventy‑one resident doctors are beginning their general and specialized training in the Azores this month, strengthening both the training capacity and healthcare services of the Regional Health Service (SRS).

According to the Regional Secretariat for Health and Social Security, forty doctors will complete their general training year in 2026. They will be distributed across the three regional hospitals located on São Miguel, Terceira, and Faial, with additional rotation periods in various island health units throughout the archipelago.

In the area of specialized training, thirty‑one doctors have been placed in the region: seventeen at the Hospital of the Holy Spirit (HDES), two at the Hospital of the Holy Spirit of Terceira Island (HSEIT), ten at the Health Unit of São Miguel Island, and two at the Health Unit of Terceira Island.
For the first time, HSEIT will receive residents in the specialties of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pediatrics, while HDES will welcome its first resident in Emergency Medicine.

 

2026 brings increases in food, rent, and telecommunications prices.
The new year begins with broad updates to the cost of living, with rises in housing rents and food prices. These increases are accompanied by corresponding adjustments to the minimum wage, pensions, and the Solidarity Supplement for the Elderly.

 

PSP recovers goods valued at €12,500 after theft at Ponta Delgada Airport.
The Public Security Police (PSP) of the Azores recovered several personal items—worth approximately €12,500—believed to be linked to the theft of a woman’s handbag at João Paulo II Airport in Ponta Delgada.

According to the Regional Command of the PSP, the recovery resulted from a police operation in the parish of São José, conducted by the Criminal Investigation Squad following several investigative steps. Among the items seized were multiple gold pieces.
With the collaboration of the Airport Security and Border Control Division, authorities identified the suspect and subsequently recovered all stolen belongings.

In a separate communication, the PSP reported that during routine operations, the Ponta Delgada Police Division arrested 38 individuals of both sexes. The Angra do Heroísmo Division recorded five arrests, while the Horta Division reported six. In total, forty‑nine arrests were made across the region, accompanied by seven road traffic enforcement operations.

Regarding road safety, 132 traffic accidents occurred in the same period, resulting in 26 injuries in addition to material damage.

 

 

 

Situation Report: Azores – December 10, 2025

 

Enhanced Firefighting Resources

The Regional Government of the Azores has strengthened emergency response capabilities in Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira Island, by providing a new heavy water tanker to the Volunteer Firefighters Association. This investment, valued at approximately €350,000, was presented during the association’s 103rd anniversary and the patron saint’s day celebration. The new vehicle significantly improves water transport, autonomy, and operational robustness for local firefighting efforts.

Severe Weather Warnings Issued

Authorities, including the National Maritime Authority (AMN) and the Navy, have issued yellow warnings for all nine islands in the Azores due to worsening weather conditions. Forecasts predict heavy rain, strong winds, and rough seas, with wave heights reaching up to 14 meters and wind gusts up to 69 km/h. These conditions are expected to persist from Thursday morning until Saturday.

Safety Recommendations

The AMN and Navy urge the fishing and boating communities to take precautions, such as returning to safe harbours and avoiding sea travel until conditions improve. All vessel owners should reinforce moorings and maintain vigilance by monitoring weather updates from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA) and local port authorities. The public is advised to avoid coastal areas, beaches, cliffs, and rocky zones, and to adopt a preventive approach to minimize risk.

Weather Outlook by Island Group

• Western Group (Flores, Corvo): Yellow warnings for heavy rain and wind from late Tuesday through Wednesday.
• Central Group (Terceira, São Jorge, Pico, Graciosa, Faial): Yellow warnings for rain and wind from early to late Wednesday.
• Eastern Group (São Miguel, Santa Maria): Yellow warning for heavy rain throughout Wednesday.

The IPMA notes that a new frontal system will gradually worsen weather conditions across the archipelago.

 

 

 

 

 

Situation Report Azores Thursday 4th December 2025 

 

Man murdered by his sister in Vila Franca do Campo

A 50-year-old man was murdered on Tuesday afternoon in Vila Franca do Campo. His 60-year-old sister is the main suspect.

The homicide occurred within the context of a domestic violence case, with the alleged aggressor, who was intoxicated, violently stabbing the victim in the torso area after a family argument.

Despite being transported to the Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Ponta Delgada, the man passed away.

The newspaper understands that the main suspect, according to the authorities, has not yet been arrested because she is currently in the psychiatric ward of the HDES hospital, and should be arrested as soon as she is discharged.

 

The Government of the Azores is conducting statutory visits to the islands of Flores and Corvo.

The Government of the Azores is conducting statutory visits to the islands of Flores and Corvo on Tuesday and Wednesday, with a program that includes meetings with mayors and members of the Island Councils.

 

Consortium submits proposal to purchase 85% of Azores Airlines.

The Newtour/MS Aviation consortium – now known as Atlantic Connect Group – has formally submitted a binding offer to acquire 85% of the share capital of Azores Airlines, according to the only bidder admitted to the privatization process of the Azorean airline

 

Business leaders in the Azores say that tourism needs a “strategic vision”.

The president of the Ponta Delgada Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIPD) argued that the region needs a “strategic vision” for tourism and warned that late payments “weaken the treasury” of organizations.

 

Half of the people from the Azores cannot afford a week’s vacation away from home.

According to data from the INE (National Institute of Statistics), 50% of Azoreans cannot afford a week’s holiday away from home. This is the highest figure in Portugal, and the region leads negatively in several indicators of material and social deprivation