Portugal Safety and Security Report Thursday 7th December 2023
Good morning everyone. The 3rd December marked the International Day of persons with disabilities. More than 1.3 billion people experience significant disability today, which represents 16% of the global population. Many persons with disabilities die earlier, are at increased risk of developing a range of health conditions, and experience more limitations in everyday functioning than the rest of the population. Persons with disabilities are often disproportionally affected by disasters and have different and uneven levels of resilience and capacity to recover.
Many are socially or logistically isolated and lack access to evacuation warnings and appropriate transportation for themselves, for those who care for them and any medical equipment necessary for their well-being. When we consider and take action concerning disaster preparedness, be it rural fires or flooding we can do our part by ensuring that family members those we know with disabilities are also prepared. We can do much to help them.
Turning to the subject of using phones whilst which despite being a dangerous practice is the cause of many serious and fatal road accidents. In Portugal, despite the results obtained in the last two decades, on average, 650 people lose their lives on the road each year. A number far from the only acceptable number: ZERO.
The temptation to respond to calls and notifications from your cell phone is the cause of many accidents, whilst driving. Texting whilst driving is the most dangerous distraction. Campaigns being conducted by the ANSR, GNR and PSP emphasise that: Using a cell phone while driving increases the likelihood of having a car accident by four times; at 50 km/h, looking at your cell phone for 3 seconds is the same as driving a distance of 42 meters blindfolded, the equivalent of a line of 10 cars and, using a cell phone while driving increases reaction time to unforeseen situations greater than the effect of a blood alcohol level of 0.8 g/l. It begs the question therefore why would anyone use their phone whilst driving given these facts?
To reduce the risk while driving and avoid this dangerous distraction, opt for one of the following strategies: Turn off your cell phone, or activate silent mode; place the cell phone in the glove compartment or in a place that does not allow access; turn on voice messages so people can leave messages while you travel; stop at an authorized and safe location to check or return urgent calls; avoid, whenever possible, using hands-free mode and take the initiative to say that you will call back later, whenever you realize that the person you are calling is driving. Fines range from €250 to €1250, driving ban from 1 to 12 months and 3 points deduction on licence.
With the winter season upon us there is a bigger demand on heating appliances and other equipment used for keeping us warm at this time of year. It is also a time when there is an increase in household fires. Many electrical fires can be prevented by following some simple electricity safety tips. These include checking electrical wires for wear and tear – replace any that are damaged; avoid overloading plug/power sockets; checking that you’re using the correct wattage in all your fixtures and appliances and switching off and unplug Christmas them before you go to bed or going out.
Whether you own or rent your home, it’s important to know the signs of a potential electrical problem. Look out for scorch marks, flickering lights, hot plugs and sockets, fuses that blow or circuit-breakers that trip for no obvious reason. These could all be signs of loose or dangerous wiring. If in doubt get them checked by a qualified electrician; you are within your rights to ask this of your landlord if you are a tenant.
We congratulate the organisers and volunteers who support The Food Bank’s campaign against Hunger who collected almost 2,300 tonnes of food from last Friday to Sunday, 10% more than in the same period last year. The president of FPBACF Isabel Jonet, recalled that there are more and more people experiencing serious financial difficulties: “When people ask for help with eating, it is when all other requests for help have been exhausted. It’s not easy to ask for help with eating.” There are around two million people who live on less than 591 euros per month remembering that half of these people live on less than 224 euros. A most worthy cause.
Our team wishes you a safe week ahead
News
Lisbon – Earthquake Emergency Response Planning
Lisbon, 05 Dec 2023 (Lusa) – The organized response of emergency services to an earthquake can take up to around 72 hours, which is why the Municipal Civil Protection Service (SMPC) of Lisbon is working with parish councils to plan relief.
According to Margarida Castro Martins, director of the SMPC in Lisbon, the experience of other earthquakes suggests that it is estimated that the organized response of the emergency services “may take up to around 72 hours”, that is, three days, and that in this period 95 % of the help is provided by the population, family, neighbours and friends.
The person responsible, who was speaking at an initiative promoted by the association Lisboa E-Nova – Lisbon Energy-Environment Agency, on “Local Emergency Planning”, explained that the city council is thus preparing with the parish councils the prevention and response to the occurrence of an earthquake and ‘tsunami’.
This takes into account that no one knows the territory and the populations better than the parish councils, their workers and their residents.
The SMPC leader highlighted that the seismic risk in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (AML) is considered “high to very high” and that the basis of the capital’s municipality’s response is the Civil Protection Special Emergency Plan for Seismic Risk in AML and neighbouring municipalities.
The Lisbon municipality, with 24 parishes and 545,796 inhabitants, has Lumiar as the most populous parish, with 46,334 residents, and Misericórdia as the least populous, with 9,658 residents, who naturally have “different realities”, and only Local Units of Civil Protection (ULPC) in the parishes of Alcântara (2016), Misericórdia (2020) and Penha de França (2021).
The municipality is preparing local emergency plans in the parishes of Avenidas Novas, Beato, Belém, Campo de Ourique, and updating those of Arroios and Olivais.
In addition to seismic risk plans, the municipality is also promoting an evacuation plan for the riverside area in the event of a ‘tsunami’, with a warning and alert system, following an earthquake.
The municipality already has two sirens installed, in Praça do Império, in the parish of Belém, and in Ribeira das Naus, in the parish of Santa Maria Maior, and has two more planned for 2024, in Doca de Santos, (Alcântara) and Estação de Santos (Estrela), foreseeing at least six more sirens in riverside parishes, by 2026.
The national director of risk prevention and management at the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), Carlos Mendes, presented the work carried out on the seismic risk assessment in AML, which is also used for the plan for the Algarve region.
The official also highlighted that in these types of events “the first response is mainly a proximity response”, which “often is not even carried out by organized relief structures” and that, in the first hours, “citizen mutual aid mechanisms” operate mainly. .
The emergency plan for AML and neighbouring municipalities involves more than a hundred entities “for a coordinated response” to an earthquake situation, and in the case of an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 on the Richter scale, means of support from districts of outside the area, and the definition of runways for international assistance, namely the air bases of Monte Real and Beja, or Sintra and Montijo.
International support mechanisms can come from France, Spain and Morocco, but Carlos Mendes noted that, in the case of an earthquake like the one in 1755, Spain and Morocco could also be affected, and therefore help will have to be provided within the framework of other European countries.
The Lisboa E-Nova session, according to Eduardo Silva, from the organization, despite some technical problems, aimed to raise awareness of the seismic risk in the city of Lisbon and in AML, with the aim of guaranteeing a culture of prevention, urgent to anticipate not only “the capacity to respond, but also the way in which the response is given”, in a situation of possible catastrophe.
The aim is to reduce the number of deaths on the roads across the holiday period and there will be a large presence of the police on our roads over the next few weeks.
In the last two campaigns, the AFA raised more than 570 kilos of food for needy families in the region, with the contribution of clubs and affiliated referee groups, sports agents, partners and other communities. All donations will later be delivered, as usual, to the Food Bank warehouses in Faro .
To these measures are added the capture of the dead volume of the Odeleite dam – fro m450 litres per second and the capture of the Guadiana River.
This year, wanting to replicate the 2021 campaign success, we have been in touch with active homeless associations (Red Cross, C.A.S.A, soup kitchens etc) across the Algarve (Lagos – Tavira) to determine how many homeless would benefit from this Christmas bag and package campaign. Times have most definitely got harder and we already have 200 sleeping bag requests with this anticipated now to rise to as many as 250 bags once we hear back from all associations involved. Our primary goal is to distribute a sleeping bag to everyone in need. If we have excess funds to enable everyone to also get a welfare package then that would be a bonus! If any of our readers would like to help, here is how you can do it.
Trails and hiking routes are now the epicentres of an adventure recognized around the world. The exploration of caves and dormant volcanoes, the observation of cetaceans, among other activities in an immersive contact with nature that the Azores offer its visitors, moments of pure adventure, consolidating itself as a destination that transcends expectations and captivates hearts on a global scale . This title reinforces the position of the Azorean islands not only as a place of exceptional natural beauty, but also as a destination of choice for those seeking truly extraordinary experiences in the vast world of adventure tourism.
Here are a few Do’s to consider- DO—make sure there is enough clearance between the stove and combustible materials, including floors, walls and ceilings. DO—place the stove on a noncombustible, fire resistant base. DO—have a mason or other competent person inspect the chimney. DO—burn only dry, well-seasoned wood. Not all wood is the same. Burn dry, seasoned wood to reduce particle pollution. Split wood dries much faster. Softwoods, such as Douglas fir, need six months to dry. Hardwoods like oak need at least 12 months. Never burn garbage, plastic, treated lumber, or driftwood– they emit toxic fumes and particles.
According to the same document, there are five reservoirs with a storage percentage that does not exceed 20%: Campilhas (6%), Monte da Rocha (8%), Vigia (16%), Arade (15%) and Bravura (8%), the last two in the Algarve.
During the first seven months of the year, 81.5 million vehicles were inspected in person and through automatic means, 12.6% more compared to the same period in 2022, and 694,000 infractions were detected. According to the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), regarding infractions, there was a similar increase (12.2%), according to the road accident report across the whole of Portugal.
The yellow warning for the islands of São Miguel and Santa Maria, due to the possibility of “sometimes heavy precipitation, which may be accompanied by thunderstorms”, will be in effect between 11pm today and 11am on Wednesday.
According to a press release from Grupo SATA, which cites data from the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC), SATA Air Açores, which provides connections between the nine islands of the Azores, showed an increase of around 37% in the number of passengers transported during the third quarter, compared to 2019, pre-covid-19 pandemic.
Europe remains the most peaceful region in the world and is home to seven of the ten most peaceful countries. Portugal was in 7th place globally, (5th in Europe) up one place since last year, compared to neighbours Spain in 32nd place and France 67th place. The UK was in 37th place.
According to the organization, there is a scheme being shared on social media and via SMS that promises to obtain a legal license to drive in exchange for a sum of money. IMT stated on its official website: “The IMT does not communicate payment for any of its services through these means, and therefore should not proceed, at any time, with the requested payment”. If you receive one of these SMS, and do not drive, DO NOT be tempted to try and obtain a licence through illegal means. There is no short cut to obtaining a driving licence which requires the passing of a test and obtaining a licence through the IMT
Montalegre, Vila Real, 28 Nov 2023 (Lusa) – The municipality of Montalegre captured 14,654 Asian wasps in the trap network and eliminated 56 nests in the 2023 campaign, which took place within the scope of the municipal plan to combat this invasive species, it was announced today.
Marking “World Day in Remembrance of Road Traffic Victims”, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, recognized “the relevant role of awareness-raising and inspection campaigns planned within the scope of the National Inspection Plan”, but called “strongly for operational work and collective awareness to be reinforced, because all lives count”, according to a note published on the presidency’s website.
Lastly we will have a stand at the Museu do Traje São Brás de Alportel, Christmas Fair on Sunday 26th November from 10.00 to 15.00 hrs, in which you can obtain information on our work. We are pleased to answer questions on crime prevention, civil protection and road safety issues. We look forward to seeing you. A great fair, with home grown produce, bread, cakes, books, craft, spices, music and street food etc.
Évora, 21 Nov 2023 (Lusa) – The Judiciary Police (PJ) today dismantled an organized criminal structure that was dedicated to exploiting immigrant workers in Baixo Alentejo, in an operation in which 28 people were arrested.
Three young motorcyclists lost their lives in the Algarve in three separate accidents last weekend, two of the motorcyclists lost control of their vehicles on the EN124-1, between Silves and Lagoa and the third on the IC2, in Salir, Loulé.
Two recreational boats collided during the night of Thursday, November 16, at the mouth of the Gilão River , in Tavira , causing four injuries, one of them serious, announced the National Maritime Authority. The alert was given by a member of the public at 8pm and members of the Tavira Maritime Police Local Command, Tavira Municipal Firefighters and INEM were immediately called to the scene.
Compared to the history of the previous 10 years, in 2023 there were 16% fewer rural fires and 44% less burned area compared to the annual average for that period.
The Christmas Campaign “And suddenly, everything changes!”, starts on Wednesday (15 November) with the aim of raising awareness among motorcyclists about reducing road accidents, according to the National Republican Guard (GNR).
The “subsidy due to the need to travel to a hospital unit located outside the pregnant woman’s island of residence, to deliver the baby”, which was already granted to the pregnant woman, is now extended to the companion, who can be the spouse, living in a civil partnership or be a relative in the direct line or in the 2nd degree of the collateral line.
The discovery was made by Professor Alberto Machado, founder of the Oceanic Studies Group, during the “Azores 2023” expedition, which in partnership with the start-up MARE Naturalist – Science and Tourism, and in collaboration with OKEANOS (Institute of Research in Sciences do Mar), from the University of the Azores, “are committed to coordinating the mapping work and feasibility of exploring the species”.
The other big story is the publication of a report into the situation in Portugal of Rural Fires in 2023. The year 2023 was the first year ever without fatalities due to rural fires. Zero fatalities, whether civilians, people who were caught by the fire during burning, cut and piled waste or more extensive burning and operatives” said the president of Agency for the Integrated Management of Rural Fires (AGIF).
The detainees, employees of companies based at Humberto Delgado Airport, in Lisbon, removed the drugs directly from the plane’s hold, shortly after their arrival, diverting it from the baggage inspection. The drug had just arrived in Lisbon, on a flight from Latin America.
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.
But this, as mentioned by Duarte da Costa, president of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), does not correspond to a disinvestment in fighting fires (in 2023 there was a reinforcement of the device, namely aerial means) but to an “awareness of the greater need to invest in prevention”.
“In these circumstances, I have presented my resignation to the president of the Republic,” he added. Portugal’s head of state Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa accepted Costa’s resignation and called for a meeting of parliamentary parties on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Portuguese presidency.