Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 26th July 2023
Good morning – The main news for all the wrong reasons, this week, has of course been the intense fires in Greece, Italy Algeria and Tunisia; Greece feeling the brunt of this on the islands of Corfu and Rhodes.
This was not unexpected as we were forewarned beforehand, of the intense heat wave that would be affecting southern Europe with the presence of a “Heat Dome” duelled by heat from North Africa.
Coincidentally a subject that appeared to go unnoticed in the mainstream media that it was on the 23rd July 2018 when fires broke out in the region of Attica, Greece which resulted in the deaths of 100 people with a further 200 injured
The fire ravaged over 3000 homes, leaving hundreds of locals to take shelter in vacant hotels, a summer camp and a nearby army centre. Roughly half of those who died were aged 60 or greater, due to difficulty these individuals had evacuating their homes quickly, given the speed with which the fire spread. Eleven children perished in the flames. The vast majority of victims were Greeks; four tourists also died.
Very fortunately, hopefully due to lessons learned since then, in the fires in Greece on this occasion, comparatively few have been injured, and there has so far thankfully been no deaths.
As demand for air travel soars, thousands of people were evacuated from Rhodes because of wildfires fanned by high winds and extreme heat. Between 7,000 and 10,000 British people were thought to be on the island as the wildfires spread, according to the Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell.
There have been harrowing scenes involving evacuations with both residents and tourists trying to escape the approaching flames. The international community has stepped up as usual, with firefighters arriving from several countries to assist their local counterparts. With the situation clearly dangerous in certain areas on the island of Rhodes, most airlines acted as you would expect by flying aircraft empty to the island and evacuating those who were eager to return home. The exception to this was Ryanair who said it continued to operate flights as usual to Rhodes airport – which is not in an area directly affected by the fires so far. The company operates flights to Rhodes from airports including London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Dublin. Despite the emergency evacuations and wildfires it said: “Ryanair flights to/from Rhodes and Corfu are currently operating as normal and unaffected by the forest fires.”
In our view and I guess the views of many, this was highly irresponsible clearly putting profits ahead of public safety. Rhodes is a relatively small island and increasing the population at a time when the authorities are dealing with a major catastrophe does not make sense.
In Portugal we have so far escaped the heatwave, but when we look back to June/July 2022, we were also in the grip of one with air temperatures in the mid-40s.C with very low relativity and on occasion’s strong winds. As a result we encountered major fires but fortunately these were not close to highly populated areas or major tourist resorts. As in the case of the Monchique fire in 2019. We monitored the fires during the period and what was obvious in these extreme weather conditions was the considerable intensity of the fires, how quickly they spread and how long they lasted – some over one week.
This is why it is important to be aware of the fire risks, study weather forecasts and be prepared. Unfortunately most experts agree that the situation will become worse and this of course includes Portugal. We have been fortunate so far this year but let’s see what the rest of the summer brings.
News
Four earthquakes with magnitudes between 2.1 and 3.4 felt in Terceira and Faial islands
Ponta Delgada, Azores, 25 July 2023 (Lusa) – Four earthquakes with magnitudes between 2.1 and 3.4 on the Richter scale were felt on Monday in Terceira and Faial islands, the Azores Seismovolcanic Information and Surveillance Center (CIVISA) reported.
According to CIVISA, the strongest earthquake, with a magnitude of 3.4, was recorded at 21:12 local time (22:12 in Lisbon) and had an epicentre around 39 kilometres west of Capelo, on the island of Faial.
The source said in a statement that the earthquake was felt with maximum intensity III/IV (Modified Mercalli Scale) in the parishes of Capelo, Castelo Branco and Pedro Miguel (Horta municipality, Faial) and with intensity III in the parish of Flamengos.
The three earthquakes recorded on Monday on Terceira Island occurred at 6:41 pm local time (7:41 pm in Lisbon), with a magnitude of 2.1; at 20:12 local time (21:12 in Lisbon), with a magnitude of magnitude 2.2; and at 20:13 (21:13 in Lisbon), with 2.4 magnitude.
The quakes had an epicentre about four kilometres northeast of Santa Bárbara.
Also according to CIVISA, earthquakes on Terceira Island were felt with maximum intensity III (two) and IV (one) on the Modified Mercalli scale, in the parishes of Santa Bárbara, Doze Ribeiras and São Bartolomeu, in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo.
Comment
There has been over one hundred very slight earthquakes west of Faial Island over the last two weeks, most not felt, with the exception of 4.5 magnitude 3 days ago.
In 2023, the 76th World Health Assembly adopted its first ever resolution on drowning prevention. The resolution accepts the invitation of the United Nations General Assembly for WHO to coordinate actions within the UN system on drowning prevention and facilitate the observance of World Drowning Prevention Day on 25 July each year.
Increasingly, there is a lack of responsiveness in the operating theatres and consultations, because there are fewer people, and I don’t know where this will end. But the Government is not managing to solve the problem in this way”, he underlined. According to João Dias, the operating rooms of the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve (CHUA), which includes the hospitals in Faro, Portimão and Lagos , are operating with the minimum services and all surgeries that are not considered urgent are being postponed.
As part of the World Youth Day operation and border control, five entries into national territory were refused at the Castro Marim border on Sunday, July 23, announced the National Republican Guard.
Together with the Portuguese Navy and the Air Force, they carried out a joint operation in international waters with the aim of combating drug trafficking .
“In view of the sea conditions and the lack of visibility at the site, it was not possible to locate the human bones”, says the same statement, adding that the searches were resumed on Sunday morning, culminating in the discovery of the human bones, which are presumed to be belong to the same person, along the coastline.
The alleged organized group was led by two suspects, who acted in cooperation with two other elements responsible for storing the product and a third suspect who transported the drug by sea to the island of São Jorge.
What has formed over most of southern Europe is a “heat dome” which in simple terms, the works like a lid on a pot. The extensive dome results in the trapping of a hot air mass at all levels underneath, sinking toward the ground. Air mass becomes particularly anomalous at the lowest elevations. Thus it creates very stable weather and often arid air mass with minimal chances for precipitation or even clouds—the sinking air parcels in the centre of the heat dome result in rising temperatures.
In a statement, the Food and Economic Security Authority (ASAE) says that the main violations detected had to do with “lack of registration, lack of hygiene conditions, the presence of pests, lack of safety conditions and protection measures, violation of personal data and capture and recording of images without proper authorization, among others”.
The agreement follows the completion of the first phase of a new infrastructure at the Vila Real de Santo António wastewater treatment plant, which enables the use of treated wastewater for irrigation at golf courses in the northern area of the municipality.
This initiative is part of the campaign “Water is life – Don’t waste it”, by Águas do Algarve and the Portuguese Environment Agency , with the objective of “raising the population’s awareness of the need to reduce water consumption in order to promote practices that encourage its use efficient in the current context of drought and water scarcity”.
Five people – four men and one woman aged between 22 and 39 – have been arrested, with two being remanded in custody and the other three being released but required to report twice a week to the local police station.
This tool also enables authorities to safely identify owners so that they can file complaints against anyone who steals carob and harvests it illegally.
“This program is completed and its presentation is scheduled. I am responsible for part of the tolls [in the former SCUT] and, therefore, very soon, I will be able to answer all the questions: What is the toll reduction rate, on which vehicles and what reduction will it affect and when this reduction will start”, said Ana Abrunhosa, stressing that it is a “reduction, never abolition”.
Given the emphasis placed globally, including Portugal, on Climate change and disaster management, we felt that a dedicated Facebook group should be formed to help those who have properties in Portugal or just visiting, by providing a “focal point” of knowledge and advice with links to various experts and qualified sources, which is easy to access, as well as opportunities for group members to share with others their own experiences.
The 17 people suspected of belonging to a drug trafficking network that operated in the region and arrested on Wednesday, the 5th, in São Brás de Alportel, were held in custody, reported the GNR.
The Judiciary Police carried out the arrest for alleged suspicions that the sub-manager “provided information of a banking nature to elements of a transnational network that has been dedicated to money laundering since, at least, the year 2019, receiving high monetary amounts in return”.
The municipalities of the island of São Miguel, in the Azores, today inaugurated a Centre for the Biological Treatment of Waste, an investment of 7.6 million euros that will make it possible to value waste that until now was considered “undifferentiated”.
In São Miguel and Santa Maria, the yellow warning will be active between 6 pm today and 9 am on Wednesday, adds the IPMA statement.
The average global air temperature recorded 2 metres above Earth’s surface was over 17°C (62.6°F) on 3 July, the highest that has ever been recorded. The temperature recorded 2 metres above Earth’s surface hit 17.01°C (62.62°F) on 3 July, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US and compiled by the University of Maine.
According to the person in charge of operations, Lieutenant-Colonel Adérito Rodrigues, contacted by SAPO24, there are at least ten detainees, involving suspicions of qualified tax fraud that could have harmed the State by several million euros, related to the collection and illegal sale of bivalves.
In numbers, this means that four more people drowned in the first three month period this year than last – the vast majority of them being men. Many of the accidents are as a result of the Rip Currents which we have mentioned many times on our Facebook and Website. The rip currents are one of the main causes of beach rescue. In the high season there have been many cases of people who have even died drowning in Portuguese beaches. It is a dangerous situation, but it can be avoided. In these situations it is important not to panic, or to swim against the current in the direction of land. It is an inglorious effort that causes people to exhaust themselves quickly. The best thing to do is to start swimming to the side and as soon as possible and if you are away from the rip current, try to catch a wave to land.
A seaweed originating in Asia has invaded the coasts of the western Algarve, with beaches where its accumulation has created a barrier 1.20 metres high.
The goal was to “ensure compliance with regulations and raise awareness about proper pet care”, the local council said in a statement to the press. A total of 17 dogs were checked on, leading to 28 infractions. The most common violations were the absence of mandatory electronic identification, or microchips, meaning that the dogs were not registered in the national pet animal information system (SIAC). Several dogs were also found to be roaming the streets unsupervised, which led to their owners being fined.