Azores Situation Report Wednesday 6th December 2023

Azores are the best adventure destination in the world 

The Azores have gained yet another recognition on the world tourist scene. The 2023 World Travel Awards awarded the Azores the title of Best Adventure Destination in the World, solidifying the unique position of this archipelago as a true paradise for lovers of exciting and unforgettable experiences.

The awards gala, often dubbed the “Oscars of Tourism”, took place on December 1st at the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah hotel, in Dubai.

“This global recognition is the icing on the cake, after the Azores consecutively won, in the years 2020, 2021 and 2022, the title of Best Adventure Destination in Europe.” According to Luis Capdeville, Executive Director of Visit Azores, “The Azores, by receiving this global distinction, assert themselves as an international icon on the tourist scene, offering a unique combination of activities and the emotion provided by their stunning landscapes.”

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.

Earthquake measuring 2.2 on the Richter scale felt on Terceira Island. 

An earthquake measuring 2.2 on the Richter scale was felt late Tuesday afternoon on the island of Terceira, in the Azores, reported the Azores Seismo-volcaeic Information and Surveillance Centre (CIVISA).

According to CIVISA, the event was felt at 6:33 pm, with the epicentre approximately four kilometres from São Mateus, on the island of Terceira.

The earthquake measuring 2.2 on the Richter scale “is part of the ongoing seismo-volcaeic crisis on the island of Terceira since June 2022”.

The earthquake was felt with maximum intensity IV on the Modified Mercalli Scale in the parishes of São Mateus and São Bartolomeu, in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo.

According to the Richter scale, earthquakes are classified according to their magnitude as micro (less than 2.0), very small (2.0-2.9), small (3.0-3.9), slight (4 ,0-4.9), moderate (5.0-5.9), strong (6.0-6.9), large (7.0-7.9), important (8.0-8.9 ), exceptional (9.0-9.9) and extreme (when higher than 10).

The Mercalli scale has 12 levels, between imperceptible and almost total damage.

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 29th November 2023

São Miguel and Santa Maria Islands with yellow warning due to rain and thunderstorms. 

The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) placed the islands in the Eastern group of the Azores under yellow warning this Tuesday due to forecasts of rain and thunderstorms.

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.

The yellow warning, the least serious on a scale of three, is issued by IPMA whenever there is a risk situation for certain activities depending on the meteorological situation.

Man suspected of killing two friends and burning bodies began to be tried in the Azores. 

The Court of São Roque do Pico, in the Azores, began, on Monday, to judge a man who is suspected of having killed two friends and burned their bodies in September last year.

The trial starts this Tuesday at 9:30 am.

The defendant is in preventive detention at the Horta Prison, on the island of Faial.

António Carvalho, the defendant’s lawyer, told journalists, before the start of the session, that the defence will present evidence that the prosecution “has no legs to walk”.

According to the lawyer, the suspect will give statements during the trial and will “declare, initially, innocent”.

According to the prosecution, the man’s two German friends, disappeared after visiting some land around the suspect’s house in which they were interested.

The detainee is accused of allegedly committing five crimes, two of qualified homicide, two of desecration of a corpse and one of possession of a prohibited weapon.

The suspect’s wife, who was subject to an identity and residence permit, is also a defendant and will be charged with two alleged crimes of desecration of a corpse and one of possession of a prohibited weapon.

In a statement, the PJ said that the investigation began on September 11th, 2022, “after reporting the disappearance of two men, aged 74 and 65, both residing on the island of Pico”.

“Evidence was gathered that the two missing men were victims of homicide crimes, with subsequent concealment of the bodies.

According to the police, during the house searches of the suspect’s residence, “two legal firearms were seized, in addition to several illegal weapons, namely a box cutter with an attached blade, several daggers and a silencer, compatible with a firearm.

Azores Airlines and Sata Air Açores with more passengers transported compared to 2019. 

Azores Airlines, the airline that provides connections between the Azores and abroad, recorded an increase in passengers transported of around 62% in the third quarter of this year, compared to 2019.

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.

“The SATA Group airlines once again surpassed themselves by reaching the symbolic mark of one million passengers transported in 2023, around two months earlier than recorded in the previous year. The evolution represented a 34% growth in the number of passengers transported, compared to the same period last year”, said the airline

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 22nd November 2023

Travel allowance for pregnant women in the Azores extended to companions. 

Companions of pregnant women on islands without a hospital in the Azores will have access to a subsidy when traveling to another island for the birth, as of the entry into force of the next State Budget.

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.

There are only hospitals on three of the nine islands in the Azores, so pregnant women from Santa Maria, São Jorge, Graciosa, Pico, Flores and Corvo must go to hospitals in São Miguel, Terceira and Faial to deliver.

PSP carries out Gunsmiths in Security operation. 

The Regional Command of the Public Security Police (PSP) of the Azores begins this Monday several inspections of gunsmiths in the archipelago, which will run until Friday, the police force announced.

In a statement, the PSP indicated that this operation, called Armeiros em Segurança, is part of the strategy outlined by the police “in terms of control of weapons, ammunition and explosives”.

According to the PSP, the activity of licensing weapons and explosives is carried out at a regional level “through the systematic use of all available technological resources, namely the Weapons and Explosives Information and Management System (SIGAE), which should and can be enhanced in inspection actions”.

New species of seafood discovered in the Azores with potential for exploration. 

A new species of shellfish was discovered in the Azores, in the bay of Praia da Vitória, in Terceira, a population of razor clams, the feasibility of exploitation of which “is now being studied by the Regional Government”.

The discovery was made by the Oceanic Studies Group and Naturalist – Science and Tourism, during the “Azores 2023” expedition.

This expedition, by the Oceanic Studies Group, specifically made it possible to discover a population of razor clams (Solen marginatus) in the bay of Praia da Vitória, on Terceira Island, in the Azores, details Naturalist, in a press release.

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 researchers believe that along with “the famous clams from Caldeira de Santo Cristo”, on the island of São Jorge, “the limpets and Caramujo, this could become a unique delicacy, a target for exploration and an alternative to the harvesting activity trade in the region, if properly regulated”.

According to Naturalist, Science and Tourism, an academic-based company in the Azores and founded by researchers from the University of Lisbon and the Azores, the feasibility of exploiting the new species “is now being studied by the Regional Government of the Azores, through the Regional Directorate of Fisheries “.

The company adds that a scientific publication has already been submitted with the results of the initial campaign and a proposal has been put forward to the Regional Government to finance a study on its distribution and abundance to support the taking of management measures for sustainable exploitation.

Until further information, the collection of the new species “is prohibited”, warns Naturalist.

 

 

The Azores Situation Report Wednesday 18th October 2023

Captaincy and Navy try to identify object found on Vila Franca islet 

Navy divers, supported by the Port Authority of Ponta Delgada, are trying to identify an object that was discovered near the islet of Vila Franca do Campo, Azores, and which could be a mine, it was revealed today.

“We heard about this find, a ferrous object of some size and spherical shape, early yesterday afternoon [Monday]. As a precaution, as it could be a mine, it is necessary to check what type of object we are talking about. It could just be a very old mooring buoy”,

As a precaution, he stressed, the area around the islet of Vila Franca do Campo was closed, which is prohibited from “any activity or navigation”.

Captain Rafael da Silva detailed that the object was found on Monday morning by recreational divers, but sea conditions did not allow the identification process to begin that day.

“At this moment we are finally able to dive to evaluate and recognize the object. (…) We are fortunate to have the support of the Portuguese Navy, with two divers specialized in this type of matter who serve in command of the Azores Maritime Zone”, he stressed.

The divers are being supported by the military, Captaincy vessels and the Maritime Police.

Rafael da Silva did not want to comment on the antiquity of the object and considered it “untimely” at this point to put forward a date for the end of the process.

If the existence of a mine is confirmed, the captain of the Port of Ponta Delgada highlighted that the deactivation of the device will be carried out by a detachment of Navy divers specializing in explosives.

Civil Protection records 18 incidents on six islands in the Azores 

The Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service of the Azores recorded, from last Sunday until Monday morning, 18 incidents on six islands in the archipelago.

According to a statement from the SRPCBA, following the adverse weather conditions that caused a worsening of the weather in the archipelago, 18 incidents were recorded in total, eight incidents on the island of Terceira, three in São Miguel, two in Pico, two in Santa Maria, two in Faial and one in São Jorge.

The situations reported correspond to falling trees, falling structures, damage to infrastructure, landslides and flooding of a house.

There was not any record of people being hurt or injured.

The following entities have been present at the locations to support and resolve the various situations: Firefighters, Regional Directorate of Public Works and Municipal Civil Protection Services, under the coordination of SRPCBA.

Ponta Delgada with action to reduce the number of homeless people. 

The local authority announces increased support for the population at risk of social exclusion, following reports of several cases in the city. Action is being coordinated with IPSS and the Institute of Solidarity and Social Security

After reporting several cases of homeless people spending the night in various parts of the city, the municipality decided to reinforce support for the population at risk of social exclusion. Thus, together with the entities, a solution will be identified that promotes a new start in life with more dignity and social appreciation for each homeless person.

“The strategy defined by Ponta Delgada City Council, in conjunction with the entities involved, aims to ensure that no one must remain on the street due to the lack of alternatives, the existing responses in the municipality are being expanded, through work in cooperation with all institutions that intervene with this phenomenon, to respond to the new challenges presented by the population at risk of exclusion and promote social cohesion in the municipality of Ponta Delgada”, reads the statement.

This intervention is part of the municipality’s set of actions to address this issue. Recently, it signed a protocol with the Novo Dia Association to finance the “Fora de Horas” project, which aims to involve a street team, during the night, to work directly with homeless people in the city of Ponta Delgada.

According to the study “À Margem – trajectories of street life, presented in 2022 and carried out by the Novo Dia association, the Azores have the highest rate of homeless people in the country, with two homeless people for every thousand inhabitants . Of the 493 flagged on December 31, 2020, 373 were from the island of São Miguel. The municipality of Ponta Delgada had 70% of all homeless people in the Azores