Archives: Situation Reports

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 13^th July 2022

Good morning – over the last few days we have seen a major escalation in the risk of fires and the number of fires occurring.

At the time of writing the fires have mainly been in the centre of the country and the north. Over the weekend there were around 250 fires most of which ignited in the afternoon and early evening by 1320 hrs on Monday 11^th July, only five remained active none being major fires.

The fires are being facilitated by very low relative humidity and high air temperatures and earlier in some areas the high winds, which have now returned.

A Situation of Contingency has been activated for the first time to deal with rural fires which includes a provision that anyone who refuses to comply with the restrictions imposed by the Government will incur the crime of disobedience. Be familiar with the measures.

Yesterday we entered a new phase of an already difficult situation, with a worsening of the metrological conditions, which will affect most of the mainland except for the northwest. Having monitored this sort of data since 2017, I am in no  doubt we are experiencing conditions similar to that in 2017, when there were the catastrophic fires, firstly in Pedrógão Grande and later in the centre of the mainland. In fact all the major fires in 2003, 2017, the Monchique fire of 2018, and Castro Marim in 2021, were when the rural fire hazard was at maximum.

The relative humidity is extremely low in many areas and overnight particularly in Foia, Monchique was the lowest in the country on 10^th July at just 6% at one stage. Looking ahead to the data over the period up to 15^th July, Portugal maybe at an unprecedented situation in terms of extreme fire risk, certainly the highest for several decades.

This is borne out by André Fernandes Commander ANEPC who highlighted the “extreme weather conditions” in about 80% of the country and the “exceptional risk” of fires for the coming days, “values ​​that have never been recorded”, warning of the need for all people to adopt appropriate behaviours not only of risk but of self-protection.

However, what has changed since 2017, is the preparedness of the emergency services which have evolved greatly using new technology and more resources in tackling these fires. A heavy use aircraft at an early stage, especially in areas where access is difficult is having good results. The early reporting of fires, quick response and bringing a fire to a conclusion in the initial attack phase i.e. within 90 mins is essential. In fact most fires are concluded with the hour. The longer a fire burns the greater the intensity becomes.

In the next few days the situation is almost certainly to be exacerbated according to IPMA  data, with greater intensity if a fire gets hold to a point in some areas  it becomes a severe fire and difficult to fight. This could lead to fires being active over a period of several days and depending on the wind spreading over large areas.

How can we prevent this?

Well 98% of fires are human error so there is much we can do. Most important is that we take every action to avoid starting a fire in the first place, “we have to be extra careful” and avoid for instance using power tools on the garden, not smoking in areas where this could burn vegetation. Look around your garden for any debris such as glass bottles that could cause a fire. Do not park a vehicle in long grass. Monitor the fire risk daily, ensure that you are aware of actions to take should a fire approach you in a fire, and for those in high risk areas, have an emergency kit close by in case of evacuations, calling 112 immediately if you discover a fire, are some of the steps.

If all this is followed we will avoid fires, keeping our communities safe and that of the emergency services who do fantastic work putting their lives at risk to help you.

Safe Communities Portugal is a Civil Protection Volunteer Organisation under Portuguese law and full details are on its website www.safecommunitiesportugal.com on how to prevent fires and actions to take should a fire approaches you, as well as our Facebook page.

News

Safety is above all”. Costa justifies the need to readjust events in the coming days

The prime minister said today that, for security reasons in view of the “extremely high risk” of fire, with the country in a contingency situation, the events next to forest areas scheduled for the coming days will have to be readjusted.

António Costa communicated this determination at the end of two meetings, totaling more than three hours, with the operational command and with several national entities responsible for preventing and fighting fires, at the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority, in Carnaxide, municipality of Oeiras.

At risk of cancellation, rescheduling or relocation, with the country in a contingency situation in the coming days, are major events such as the Super Rock music festival in Sesimbra, which has since been relocated to Altice Arena, in Lisbon, or the Faro biker concentration.

“As is known, the weather forecasts will remain extremely serious, regarding the risk of fire”, being “absolutely fundamental not only that the entire civil protection system is fully mobilized, as it is, but above all that we all have the responsibility to avoid the risk of fire”, began by saying the prime minister.

After successive questions about the conditions for holding events near pine forest areas, such as the Supre Bock Super Rock music festival, or the Faro biker rally, the prime minister reacted: “I understand the interest these events arouse, but this is the smallest problem we are going to have in the country”.

“The big problem facing the country in the coming days is the very high risk of fire that covers practically the entire national territory. It certainly covers the entire territory from the Minho River to Lisbon, attenuating a little in the Alentejo, but not in the Algarve, where there are forecasts of very strong winds”, declared the leader of the executive.

“Safety is above all. This issue is not political, it is technical and responsible, it stems from the law at a time when the contingency situation is in force”, declared António Costa, with the ministers of Internal Administration, José Luís Carneiro, of Defense, Helena Careers, and Agriculture, Maria do Céu Antunes.

It’s not just in Portugal: heat wave will cause records in several European countries

Temperatures will be around 7°C above average in the Iberian Peninsula, making it one of the three longest heat waves in the region’s history. On Monday, above-average seasonal temperatures are expected to hit central, southern and western Europe, forecasters warn.

The heat wave recorded in the Iberian Peninsula in recent days will affect northern Europe later this week and spread to the east, expected to set new records in several countries, European meteorologists announced this Tuesday.

The heat that has affected Portugal and Spain has raised temperatures 4 to 5 degrees above normal for the season, leading to maximums above 40ºC. During the rest of this week, the heat will likely increase further, to around 7°C above average, with maximum temperatures reaching 46-47°C in Seville, for example, according to experts quoted by the English newspaper The Guardian. .

According to Aemet, the Spanish meteorological agency, this heat wave can last nine or 10 days, making it one of the three longest heat waves the Iberian Peninsula has ever experienced.

As low pressures develop in eastern Europe, intense heat from the Iberian Peninsula will also affect France, the United Kingdom and much of central Europe.

According to experts, parts of France, the United Kingdom, Germany and even the Netherlands are expected to experience temperatures above 40°C from the middle of this week.

In the UK, the all-time temperature record is 38.7°C, set in Cambridge in July 2019.

Meanwhile, temperatures in parts of the central and eastern Mediterranean will also rise to around 10°C above normal, passing the 40°C mark across Italy and the Balkans.

On Monday of next week, above-average seasonal temperatures should be registered in central, southern and western Europe, with conditions of “widespread heat waves”, warn meteorologists, pointing the finger at the Azores and African anticyclone. .

Are you going to travel by train? CP warns of “strong disruption”

CP – Comboios de Portugal warned this Monday of “strong disturbances in the movement of trains in all services” and across the country on Tuesday and Thursday due to the strike of workers at Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP).

In a statement, the operator said that “due to a strike called by a trade union organization of IP-Infraestruturas de Portugal, strong disturbances are expected in the circulation of trains in all services, at the national level, on the 12th and 14th of July, 2022”.

According to CP, “minimum services are planned for both days, the list of which is available at cp.pt, and additional trains may be carried out”.

Therefore, “customers who have already purchased a ticket to travel on trains of the Alfa Pendular, Intercidades, Interregional and Regional services, will be allowed a refund, in the total amount of the ticket purchased, or its renewal free of charge, for another train of the same category and in the same class”, he indicated.

“Following the prior notice of strike presented by Aprofer – Association of Railway Command and Control Professionals, for the period between 00:00 and 24:00 on July 12th [Tuesday] and the period between between 00:00 and 24:00 on the 14th of July [Thursday], we inform you that there may be disturbances in rail traffic”, reads a notice made available this morning on the company’s website.

According to him, “in this period, Infraestruturas de Portugal will guarantee the opening of 30% of its rail channel for the Urbanos – Lisbon and Porto service and 25% for the remaining circulations, under the terms of the minimum services agreed with the aforementioned union association”.

In turn, Fertagus also warned on its website that, “in view of the strike announced at IP – Infraestruturas de Portugal between 00:00 and 24:00, on the 12th and 14th of July 2022, serious disturbances in the movement of Fertagus trains”.

To Lusa, the president of Aprofer, Adriano Filipe, explained that at the basis of the strike is the demand for a professional training system for the operational command centers, a specific evaluation and performance system for these functions and an update in the remunerations.

Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 6^th July 2022

Good morning – We start the day by focusing on behaviour of some passengers which have hit the headlines over the last two days!

Firstly an EasyJet flight was intercepted by a Spanish fighter plane after a bomb threat was allegedly made by a British teenager on board on Monday. Video footage taken by a passenger on the commercial flight appears to show an F18 fighter warplane flying closely beside the EasyJet flight from London Gatwick to Menorca on Sunday. Once the plane landed in Mahon, the island’s capital, the flight was taken to a separate area from the main terminal and was subject to bomb disposal experts and sniffer dogs. The Civil Guard have since concluded that the bomb threat was false. The 18-year-old has since been arrested. Why this person did this is beyond belief terrifying passengers and requiring a major emergency response.

The same day authorities at Lisbon airport a 41-year-old man was arrested suspected of being drunk on board a plane and having assaulted several passengers. “According to police, the man “exhaled a strong odour of alcohol, presuming that he had boarded that way at the origin”, having continued to drink alcoholic beverages during the flight.

On 2 July, Ryanair’s domestic flight FR9108 between Mahon, Menorca, and Malaga (Spain) didn’t go as expected. A 46-year-old Belgian passenger boarded the aircraft intoxicated. Angry with his delayed flight, he started to insult other passengers, hit the seats next to him and tried to force an emergency exit. He responded agitated and demanded in an aggressive way that the flight would depart for Malaga. After some passengers warned the crew about his behaviour, the police were called. And he was detained

There are enough problems facing the air travel industry at present and drunken and/or criminal behaviour that jeopardizes flight safety cabin is the last thing passengers want to experience.

Yesterday it was reported that more than 2,000 police officers were involved in the security of the United Nations Ocean Conference, which took place last week in Lisbon, an operation that the secretary-general of the internal security system considered today “unprecedented” and “very complicated”.

Certainly an event of this magnitude with senior government officials from all over the world attending a conference such as this is a major security and logistical challenge for any country and judging from the outcome, it was extremely well planned and implemented. Congratulations therefore to the security forces and other entities involved in ensuring the safety of over 7000 people who attended the event.

Yesterday we were contacted from a resident in Silves, Algarve who had the catalytic converter stolen from his vehicle. Unfortunately this type of theft is fairly common both in Portugal as well as overseas. The high price of platinum, palladium and rhodium explains the growth of this crime

The thefts are motivated by the attempt to remove the precious metals that are part of the catalytic converter, platinum, palladium and rhodium. All of them with high market values – for example, at the end of 2021, platinum was quoted at 27 euros a gram, palladium at 39 euros and rhodium has already reached 50 euros a gram, being considered the highest metal expensive of the platinum group and even higher than gold.

Take particular care where you park your vehicle, especially at night time. Places where there is lighting and close to buildings is preferable if possible. Thefts have also taken place however in broad daylight! Unfortunately the emergency of battery operated grinders/cutters have made it easier for criminals who can operate in areas where it is not possible to use a power cable.

However Portugal is a great place to live, with friendly people, good climate, good food, wine and superb countryside. It is also the 6th Most Peaceful Country in the World.

In deciding where to live and what type of property to purchase, we tend to take into account cost, whether to live in a town or in the countryside; whether to purchase a new property, live in a traditional Quinta or simply purchase land and build from scratch.

These are factors whether move here, or moving within Portugal, that estates agents can advise in selecting a property. Other factors, not so frequently considered, are those concerning safety and security – after all your investment is important as well as your well- being and quality of life. Portugal is one of the safest places to live in Europe, but it is important to take safety and security into account when choosing a home. As we get older this is more important.

Safe communities Portugal has undertaken research into this and has produced a Checklist – “Moving to Portugal – Deciding where to live”. Before any suggestions that this may put people off coming here, I suggest just the reverse – by following this it will help people decide what the best property is for them taking into account the factors identified. Please see our feature in the Algarve Resident tomorrow.

According to the IPMA air temperatures will increase on the mainland starting from today. The forecasts are for temperatures of 35C to 40C but could be more in some places inland. Coastal areas will be a little cooler. IPMA warn that coupled with this the relative humidity will be low. Indeed yesterday the lowest was below 10%. With these extremes fires if they start may burn with great intensity and spread quickly. Our message is as always take considerable care in the countryside both against the heat and avoid any action that could cause a fire.

With that please have a Safe Day and take care with the high temperatures.

News

Due to the Azores anticyclone, the climate in Portugal and Spain is the driest in 1200 years

New scientific study indicates that anticyclone has been occupying an increasing area over the last 200 years. Human activity is the only possible explanation.

The Azores anticyclone is a major centre of high atmospheric pressure that influences the climate of several regions of Western Europe, North Africa and the Americas. And it has, over the last 200 years, come to occupy an ever-increasing area. Because of this, Portugal and Spain are currently struggling with their driest climate in more than a millennium (1200 years precisely). This is indicated by a study published this Monday in the scientific journal Nature Geoscience.

Looking at the two countries of the Iberian Peninsula, researchers from the Oceanographic Institution of Woods Hole, in the United States, analysed meteorological data dating back to 1850. The authors of the report also studied some stalagmites in a Portuguese cave (the Buraca Gloriosa, in the district of Leiria), which retained information regarding much older precipitation levels. This information was used to make climate models from 850 to 2005.

Applying a methodology that involved carrying out several “numerical simulations”, the researchers further explored how, both in terms of size and intensity, the Azores anticyclone has changed over the last 1000 years. “We found that the industrial-age anticyclone behaves differently from that of the pre-industrial era”, can be read in the scientific article, in which the co-authors suggest that, due to human activity and the increasingly significant emissions of gases greenhouse effect (GHG), the anticyclone is experiencing considerable expansion.

The Iberian Peninsula has been hit by several heat waves and droughts over the last few years. In mid-June, the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA) warned that 97% of the Portuguese territory was being affected by severe drought conditions, with all the implications that this entails, ranging from human consumption to the various economic sectors. . For the Spaniards, on the other hand, the last month of May was the hottest on record.

Government guarantees water for human consumption for the next two years

Terras de Bouro, Braga, Jul 05, 2022 (Lusa) – The Government assured today that, despite the drought, the country has water for human consumption in the next two years, but admitted rationing in certain areas of the country, regarding some uses, such as in the farming.

The guarantee was given by the Secretary of State for Nature Conservation, Forests and Territorial Planning, João Catarino, on the side-lines of a visit to the municipality of Terras de Bouro, district of Braga, where he went to highlight the improvement in conditions for visiting the Park – National Park of Peneda Gerês.

Asked about news to report today that there are “dams close to the death volume” (technical reserve that is below the collection pipes), or that the northeast of Trás-os-Montes is on alert and with the threat of water cuts during the night, the minister assumes concern about the effects of drought, but ensures that the country will not have a lack of water for human consumption in the next two years, even without rain.

“[Drought] is a situation that we all have to worry about. Obviously, the Government, as responsible, has to be concerned, but concerned in the dimension in which we know and guarantee that there will be no shortage of water for human consumption. This is the note we have to leave: Portugal is now able to guarantee that there will be no shortage of water for human consumption, even if the conditions remain, and which, apparently, will get worse”, João Catarino told journalists.

The Secretary of State warns that if there is less water, there must be a “more efficient” use in all its dimensions.

“At home, in watering public spaces, in agriculture. We have to be aware that if there is less water, we have to use much less. The Government is responsible for guaranteeing the human consumption of water and this is guaranteed for two years, for this year and for the [next] year, even if it did not rain this year and next, which we hope will not happen, in any way ”.

The Secretary of State for Nature Conservation, Forests and Territorial Planning admits, however, the rationing of water in certain areas of the country, for certain purposes.

“[Water rationing] yes, this may have to exist for some uses, obviously, but for human consumption, we will always be attentive. All alternative forms will be used if the ducts that are stabilized are not sufficient. But the Government is in a position to guarantee that there will be no shortage of water for human consumption during the summer, without a doubt”, stated João Catarino.

Monkeypox: Portugal has already received the first 2,700 doses of vaccines

Portugal has already received the first 2,700 doses of vaccines against the Monkeypox virus, acquired by the European Commission to be distributed among the Member States most affected by the outbreak, the European Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides, revealed to Lusa yesterday.

“The first deliveries of vaccines against monkeypox arrived in Portugal to protect Portuguese citizens and respond to the Monkeypox outbreak,” said the commissioner, in a statement to Lusa.

Stella Kyriakides underlined that in the space of two weeks, the European Commission acquired around 110,000 doses of vaccines and started deliveries to the most affected countries, with Spain being the first Member State to receive a shipment of 5,300 doses, on 28 June. .

At the time, the European Commission, which negotiated the purchase of a total of 109,090 doses of the third-generation vaccine from the Bavarian Nordic pharmaceutical company, indicated that Portugal, Germany and Belgium would follow between July and August.

“This work will now continue and intensify as we head towards another period of autumn and winter, with the covid-19 pandemic close by”, the commissioner told Lusa.

“This is a European Health Union that delivers tangible results for people, with our Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) reacting quickly and sourcing vaccines for all member states that have expressed a need.” commented the European Commissioner for Health.

According to the most recent data from the Directorate-General for Health (DGS), released last Thursday, cases of Monkeypox in Portugal have exceeded 400, and cases have also been reported in Madeira.

According to the DGS, all confirmed infections are in men between the ages of 19 and 61, with the majority under 40 years of age, who remain in clinical follow-up and are stable

Portugal participates in Europol action against child trafficking – 130 arrests from various countries.

Portugal was involved in a Europol action against child trafficking that resulted in the arrest of more than 130 people and the opening of more than a hundred investigations, the European body announced today.

According to a press release, the operation took place between June 6th and 13th and was coordinated by the Frontex agency, with the participation of 22 countries alongside Interpol and more than 22,480 agents, with controls carried out at sea and land borders and airlines at European level.

There was also verification of around 13,500 locations, 193,020 vehicles, more than 101,000 documents (101,790) and almost a million people (970,440).

During the operation, 60 new suspects and more than 130 potential victims of human trafficking were identified, of which more than a dozen are minors.

The investigations carried out by Europol – which coordinated the operational activities, through a virtual command post – also made it possible to detect more than 220 falsified documents.

“Law enforcement authorities have also verified the identities of more than 11,130 minors, who remain the most vulnerable group within the people who are trafficked and exploited. Many are victims of sexual exploitation, forced begging or different types of forced crime, including petty crimes and drug trafficking. They also become victims of labour exploitation and domestic slavery.

In addition to Portugal, this operation also included efforts from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, Holland, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.