Safe Communities Portugal Safety and Security Report 1^st July 2026

 

Good morning everyone.  We start with the increasing air temperatures and consequential increasing fire danger over the next days. The hot weather affecting Portugal will give rise to a heat wave that will last for eight to ten days and will affect practically the entire country, the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA) estimated this Tuesday.

Consequently the interior of Portugal could face one of the most dangerous fire periods of the summer in this period.

IPMA Forecasts indicate temperatures above 40ºC in several regions of the country, moderate to strong easterly winds, and a sharp drop in relative humidity in some areas as low as 11%, conditions that favour the rapid spread of fires.

The main concern regarding the current heat wave is not the possibility of breaking historical temperature records, but rather its “duration and persistence” of high maximum temperature values, explains meteorologist Patrícia Marques from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere ( IPMA ).

From Friday onwards, the entire country should be under an orange warning due to the heat, but IPMA (Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere) admits the possibility of the warning worsening to red in some districts due to the persistence of high temperatures, with an “extremely long heat wave”.

Given this scenario, a government source admits to considering declaring a situation of alert, as the country enters Phase Delta of the Special Device for Combating Rural Fires this Wednesday, the period in which the greatest fire danger.

Given the seriousness of the situation, the Ministry of Health has called a press conference today to detail the plan to respond to heat waves. The meeting will be headed by the Secretary of State for Health, Ana Povo, accompanied by officials from the DGS (Directorate-General of Health), DE-SNS (National Health Service Directorate), INSA (National Institute of Health), SPMS (Shared Services of the Ministry of Health) and INEM (National Institute of Medical Emergency).

The high temperatures are a result combined action between an anticyclone located northwest of the Iberian Peninsula and a depression in North Africa, which channel a mass of extremely hot and dry air over the continent.

With the start of this period, the year 2026 solidifies a worrying trend. IPMA confirmed that the country has already accumulated 59 days of heat waves since January, highlighting the waves in March (14 days) and those recorded consecutively in April, May and June (all with a maximum duration of 13 days). This compares with 80 days recorded in 2023 and data indicating 74 days in 2024. However, the impact is most felt during the summer period.

Delta phase of the DECIR wildfire readiness, comes into effect from today until 30^th September with 15,149 operatives, 3463 vehicles from various civil protection agencies and 81 aircraft ready for deployment.

It is not only Portugal that has been affected by the heat. The heat wave affecting much of Europe has already caused more than 1,300 deaths since June 21, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), while several countries in Central and Eastern Europe are facing record temperatures.

Our team at Safe Communities Portugal wishes you a safe week ahead and take care in the heat.

 

News

Venezuela Earthquakes update

The latest death toll was released yesterday. National Assembly President Jorge Ramírez – the acting president’s brother – announced that at least 1,943 had died, an increase of about 200 from the day before, 68 of whom are Portuguese and of Portuguese descent.   But the overall casualty figure is believed to be much larger. The US Geological Survey estimates there is a high likelihood that tens of thousands are dead. The United Nations’ Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Venezuela Gianluca Rampolla said Monday that the Venezuelan government and the UN are procuring 10,000 body bags in anticipation of more deaths.

The massive tremors probably damaged or destroyed 58,870 buildings, according to an initial assessment of satellite data from NASA.

Amongst all this devastation a three-year-old boy has been pulled alive from the rubble six days after the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, a Jordanian rescue team has said. The rescue comes well after the initial three-day period immediately after the quake during which experts say people trapped under debris, in areas where this air have the best chance of being found alive.

On Monday, June 29th, the Portuguese Joint Operational Force (FOCON) located a survivor under the rubble of a shopping mall in Catia La Mar, in the state of La Guaira. Special equipment that detects heartbeats made it possible to identify the exact location of the person in the rubble. FOCON period of deployment is for 10 days for search and rescue operations, but could be extended if the situation so demands.

 

“Beginning of a new phase”: global sea surface temperature hits record highs.

“Current conditions may indicate the beginning of a new phase that will once again lead us into uncharted territory,” warns C3S director Carlo Buontempo. With ocean temperatures at high levels and the El Niño phenomenon on the horizon, new records could be broken.

Global sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have already surpassed record levels for this time of year, reached in 2023 and 2024, according to the latest data from the European Copernicus program, it was announced this Wednesday.

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts indicated in a statement that daily SST data recorded by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) exceeded 2024 levels on June 21, reaching 20.86°C, slightly above the 20.83°C observed in 2023 and 2024.

On the other hand, the Copernicus Marine Surveillance Service (CMEMS) also recorded record temperatures on June 21, when they reached 21ºC, exceeding the previous records of 2023 and 2024 by 0.1ºC.

“Current conditions may indicate the beginning of a new phase that will lead us, once again, into uncharted territory,” warned C3S director Carlo Buontempo.

Buontempo also mentioned that, with ocean temperatures at these levels and the El Niño phenomenon on the horizon, “it is likely that we will witness record-breaking temperatures in the coming months.”

In this regard, the director of C3S stated that the data provided by Copernicus “support policies aimed at protecting the marine environment,” although it remains to be seen whether this excess is “temporary or indicative” of conditions in the coming months.

Over the past three years, the global extrapolar ocean – which includes the marine waters between 60° south latitude and 60° north latitude – has recorded temperatures between 0.35°C and 0.73°C above the long-term average, and in June these anomalies reached record levels for this time of year.

This “unprecedented” level of warming reflects both climate change and an El Niño phenomenon whose intensity “will likely reach levels not seen in decades.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Safe Communities Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 29^th April 2026

 

On April 21st, during a Parliamentary Hearing in the Assembly of the Republic, the Minister of Internal Administration, Luís Neves, in the area of Civil Protection, warned of the complexity of the period ahead, stating that “the country faces a very demanding period in the coming times. He guaranteed that resources are being reinforced, firefighters are being valued, and specific responses are being developed for extraordinary scenarios, in a coordinated effort between different entities and decision-making levels.

At the same hearing Mário Silvestre National Operational Commander ANEPC warned that some areas are veritable powder kegs. Stating: “We are careful to try to understand where we are going to have problems. From north to south of the country, it’s a powder keg.” The warning applies to places that were affected in the past”. From what officials are saying we can expect a bad year for fires so we must be prepared and make every effort in terms of prevention and preparedness.

The President of the ANEPC José Manuel Moura meanwhile was questioned by MPs from Livre, CDS-PP and PCP, at the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI) into the rural fire business, about a new organic law for ANEPC announced by the Government. This , among the changes foreseen, includes the creation of a dedicated operational command for firefighters and the return of the CDOS, which were abolished in 2023 and replaced by 24 Sub-regional Emergency and Civil Protection Commands, aligned with the Intermunicipal Communities (CIM).He added “It will be easier to adopt the measure of all of us retreating to where we were,” José Manuel Moura stated, arguing that “civil protection agents should be aligned according to the same administrative division of the territory.”

Luís Neves has simply said that changes to the territorial arm of ANEPC (the national civil emergency authority) are being studied, and that the conclusions will be revealed after this summer.

Some good news is that the Public Safety Police recorded, in the first three months of this year, a decrease of about 10% in the number of thefts within a residence, compared to the same period of 2025. This decline, which translates into fewer 122 registered crimes, is accompanied by an increase in operational efficiency, with the PSP making 22 arrests. The fight against roaming organized crime remains a strategic priority, given the strong impact this type of illegal has on families’ sense of security and privacy.

 

 

News

Extreme heat alerts have increased by 318% in 10 years, a report indicates.

Extreme heat warnings in Europe have increased by 318% between 2015 and 2025, compared to the 1990s, with an estimated 62,000 people expected to die due to heat by 2024, according to a report released Tuesday.

The Countdown Europe 2026 report on health and climate change, published by the specialist journal The Lancet  analyses how human-caused climate change is exacerbating health impacts and causing deaths, and monitors the effects that adaptation and mitigation measures have on health, the economy, and finance.

According to the report, the indicators reveal “a sharp increase” in the direct and indirect negative health impacts of heat exposure in Europe, with almost all (99.6%) of the monitored regions registering an increase in the number of deaths in the period 2015-2024 compared to the years 1991-2000.

Also comparing the two periods, the report indicates that exposure to heat increased by 254% and the average annual number of hours in which heat exposure made physical activity dangerous increased by 88%.

In 2023, more than one million additional people were affected by moderate or severe food insecurity across Europe, compared to the annual average for 1981-2010, due to increased heat waves and drought.

Also due to climate change, cases of infectious diseases have increased in the last decade, with a geographical expansion of some disease vectors, accompanied by more frequent outbreaks. The possibility of dengue fever transmission increased by 297% in the last period studied, compared to 1980-2010.

The authors of the document also note that the risks, vulnerabilities, and impacts of climate change are unequal across populations and regions, and point out that the poorest people are more likely to suffer food insecurity due to heat waves, and that people in the most disadvantaged regions also face higher risks of forest fires and have less access to green spaces.

Also on the negative side, the report points to the increase in biomass burning, which contributes to air pollution and deforestation, suggesting that priority should be given to transitioning residential heating to cleaner alternatives, such as heat pumps.

Audiovisual piracy is on the rise in Portugal: the phenomenon is causing losses of 260 million euros.

The consumption of illegal audiovisual content is increasing in Portugal and already significantly exceeds the European average, raising concerns among authorities and the industry. According to recent data, the demand for pirated content in the country is about 33% above the European average, translating into an annual loss of around 260 million euros for the audiovisual sector.

Although accessing movies, series, or games through unofficial platforms may seem harmless to many users, authorities warn that this type of consumption fuels organized crime networks, often with an international reach and high profits.

Furthermore, these sites also represent an increased risk for users, particularly through fraud and phishing scheme.

According to the national director of the Judicial Police, Carlos Cabreiro , combating piracy has been a priority, but it faces significant challenges, especially due to the complexity of the networks and the need for international cooperation .

The same idea is reinforced by experts in the field, who point to the lack of effective tools and coordination between countries as one of the main obstacles to dismantling these structures.

The data also indicate that the phenomenon is particularly pronounced among younger people. Around 34 % admit to consuming illegal content, which contributes to the normalization of this practice.

According to Paulo Santos, a lawyer and former PJ inspector, this trend requires not only increased oversight, but also greater awareness of the associated risks and consequences.

The economic impact is another critical point. The loss of revenue for companies in the sector affects not only large producers, but also the entire value chain, from breeders to technicians and distributors .

The topic was highlighted at a colloquium held at the headquarters of the Polícia Judiciária (Judicial Police) in Lisbon, which brought together several national and international entities, including Europol, with the aim of discussing strategies and mechanisms to curb the growth of audiovisual piracy.

In a context where digital consumption continues to grow, authorities emphasize that combating this phenomenon depends not only on technical and legal means, but also on a change in user behaviour.

 

 

 

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 4th March 2026

 

The Special Device to Fight Rural Fires (DECIR) 2026 was announced yesterday and strengthens the national response capacity in the critical period (July 1 to September 30). 15,149 operatives, 3,463 vehicles, 2,596 teams and 81 aircraft will be engaged, consolidating the structural reinforcement of the last decade. In 2016 the operatives in this phase stood at 7,475, vehicles 1601 and aircraft 47; thus representing a considerable increase.

The Permanent Intervention Teams grow to 770 teams and 3,864 elements, accompanied by an ongoing investment in operational training and qualification. These teams are usually the first to be deployed in rural fires

However, we note a report on Monday that more than a third of the 278 municipalities on the mainland have outdated emergency plans. According to data obtained by JN, there are more than 100 Municipal Civil Protection Emergency Plans (PMEPC) that should have already been revised, and about fifteen are not even included in the Emergency Planning Information System (SIPE) implemented by the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC). With serious accidents and catastrophes, such as those resulting from the recent train of storms that hit the territory, being inevitable, experts argue that only with updated and trained plans is it possible to minimize the consequences of bad weather.

The 1st March was Civil Protection day and a time to remember the destructive power of earthquakes and be aware of the risk they pose in Portugal. On February 28, 1969 Portugal was affected by an earthquake which was felt throughout the country, northern Morocco and part of Spain. The magnitude of the earthquake was 7.3 on the Richter scale. However it was later recalculated at Mag 7.9 making it the largest earthquake recorded in Portugal since the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. The south, namely the Algarve, and the Lisbon region were the areas most affected by earthquake, which was also felt in Spain and Morocco. Thirteen people died, two as a direct result of the quake and 11 indirectly and several dozen were injured.

Civil Protection reminds every one of the importance of knowing self-protection measures: know how to act during an earthquake (DROP, COVER, HOLD); identify safe places at home and in the workplace; prepare an emergency kit and follow the official information.

Turn to dust. Due to storm Regina an air mass originating from the deserts of North Africa, carrying suspended dust, is crossing mainland Portugal between March 3rd and 5th, 2026. Poor air quality is being experienced across parts of the mainland. Mark Parrington, senior scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) stated that “a large-scale aerosol outflow into the North Atlantic is not uncommon at this time of year, with seasonal biomass burning in Equatorial Africa typically peaking between January and March.

Therefore, and for as long as this phenomenon persists, the Directorate-General of Health recommends that the general population should avoid prolonged exertion, limit outdoor physical activity, and avoid exposure to risk factors such as tobacco smoke and contact with irritants.

The following groups of citizens, due to their greater vulnerability to the effects of this phenomenon, in addition to complying with the recommendations for the general population, should, whenever feasible, remain inside buildings and, preferably, with the windows closed: children; the elderly; patients with chronic respiratory problems, particularly asthma; patients with cardiovascular disease. Patients with chronic conditions should continue with their current medical treatments.

Our team at Safe Communities wishes you a safe week ahead.

 

News

Environment Minister considers intervention on cliffs “super urgent” after storms.

The Algarve has been identified as the region with the most problems, including fissures in the iconic rock formation at Peneco beach. The government strategy is divided into three areas: cliff safety, beach restoration, and medium-term structural projects, with the aim of completing urgent works before the bathing season.

The Minister of the Environment stated on Tuesday in Albufeira that stabilizing the cliffs is a “super urgent” priority for the Government to ensure coastal safety, following the worsening erosion caused by recent storms.

“The intervention on the cliffs is one of the ‘necessary and extremely urgent projects to guarantee the safety of those who visit the beaches, this being the most urgent part’,” Maria da Graça Carvalho told journalists on the sidelines of a visit to beaches in the municipality of Albufeira, in the district of Faro.

The minister visited Maria Luísa and Peneco beaches in Albufeira to assess the damage caused by the storms that affected mainland Portugal between the end of January and the first weeks of February, revealing that the damage extends from Moledo, in the municipality of Caminha, district of Viana do Castelo, to Vila Real de Santo António, in the district of Faro.

However, he added, the Algarve is the region where “there are more problems with the cliffs and the most complicated cases,” resulting from the sea storms, rain, and strong winds that have plagued the country in recent weeks.

Maria da Graça Carvalho revealed that the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) is concluding an inspection of the entire coastline, with the conclusions and necessary projects to be presented “in eight days” by the APA in Porto.

During the visit, the minister listened to the concerns of the Mayor of Albufeira, Rui Cristina, regarding the intervention “to save the rock formation on the beach that gives its name to Peneco beach, where fissures have been detected.”

According to the mayor, the rock “represents a danger and could collapse at any moment ,” and a safety perimeter has been established to prevent people from approaching.

“It’s something very symbolic, an emblematic rock that represents Albufeira. We will do everything to preserve it,” he assured, referring, however, to the APA (Portuguese Environment Agency) and the National Laboratory of Civil Engineering (LNEC) “a technical or constructive solution to safeguard it in the best way.”

The minister will ask for help from LNEC.

The Minister of the Environment indicated that she will ask the LNEC (National Laboratory for Civil Engineering) for help in “supporting a decision” on what to do regarding the rock formation, reinforcing that these complex interventions aim to “guarantee the safety” of those who visit the beaches.

Maria da Graça Carvalho also mentioned that the Ministry of the Environment’s strategy is divided into three areas of intervention on the coastline, with different degrees of urgency: cliff safety, beach restoration through sand replenishment, and medium-term projects that require environmental impact studies.

Short-term projects include those related to preparing for the bathing season, such as stabilizing cliffs, small and medium-sized beach replenishment with sand, and repairing walkways.

“The goal is for these works to be completed before the start of the bathing season, using quick and flexible financing,” the official added.

The structural projects foresee larger-scale interventions, which require environmental impact studies, and are expected to be ready only for the bathing season next year.

“We have to do it, and it has to be done well,” the minister reiterated, noting that although the Algarve presents the most complicated problems regarding the cliffs, the APA’s monitoring “is continuous and systematic throughout the national territory.”

According to the minister, work to reinforce the sand on some of the “most emblematic beaches in the country” should begin between May and the beginning of June.

 

25 years since the Entre-os-Rios tragedy: a reflection on the “ambiguous grief” of the families of 36 victims.

Sandra Torres, a lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the University of Porto, reflects on the difficulties of the grieving process in tragedies such as the collapse of the Entre-os-Rios Bridge in which the bodies of 36 victims were never found.

The fact that only 23 bodies have been recovered out of the 59 victims of the Hintze Ribeiro bridge collapse tragedy in Entre-os-Rios 25 years ago has led many family members to experience “ambiguous grief,” says an expert on the subject.

“In psychology, this type of grief, in which people are physically absent but, fundamentally, psychologically present, is called ambiguous grief. This is precisely to, in some way, expose the difficulty in balancing a grieving process alongside a cycle of maintaining hope that often occurs in these processes. One of the great difficulties associated with this type of grief, I would say, is the great absence of farewell,” Sandra Torres explains to Lusa.

A lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Porto (FPCEUP), responsible for several curricular units on grief, reflects on the 36 victims who did not have a funeral because their bodies were not found, following the tragedy of March 4, 2001, in which 59 people died when the fourth pillar of the Hintze Ribeiro bridge collapsed.

The importance of saying goodbye.

“Funerals often serve this function. Even if they have been symbolically performed, there is no possibility for people to have gone through a farewell process that, in their minds, only happens when the body is actually present. And therefore, however much there may have been public acknowledgment of this loss, this more physical farewell can never be carried out by these people. And this is what, in a way, brings about this situation of ambiguity that often prevents the acceptance and emotional reorganization that is required in a grieving process,” he explains.

For some, this ambiguity manifests itself with “persistent rumination” of the process, for others with “continuous mental searching,” with “what ifs, what ifs,” a ‘pain’ that comes from balancing hope and rationality, an expressive pain that can lead to “other emotions that are often strong, intense, and difficult, in which the most predominant tend to be guilt and/or anger.”

“From the point of view of anger, it can often be directed towards others. When we look at blame, we look more at an internal dimension, when we look at anger we often look at it from an external direction, and here it can be directed towards the political and administrative responsibilities that existed in the maintenance of the infrastructure, or even the fact that the authorities did not do everything they could to find the bodies…”, she exemplifies, as “possible thoughts” associated with it.

The consequence ends up being “making the whole adjustment process more difficult,” which in turn causes “grief to remain very intense over the years ,” with the weight of society potentially making people feel “isolated and misunderstood,” as people are expected to move on.

“By hindering the entire adjustment process, grief remains very intense over the years. (…) And often there are some processes here that may not be conscious, even in the face of society: ‘if I go through this grieving process, I will be saying that in some way I have accepted this, I have resigned myself, and deep down what I want is to keep the person alive’,” adds the specialist.

Each person’s reactions “can be very diverse.”

Since grief is a “deeply individual” process, each person’s reactions “can be very diverse,” and in circumstances like the tragedy in Entre-os-Rios, “with all this media attention involved,” there are people for whom the memory brings back old wounds, but for others it is a sign of homage, “a way of keeping alive the people who were lost.”

“Maintaining a connection with the person who was lost today is seen as an adaptive process, and this can manifest itself either in valuing memories, in talking to people in thought, or in experiences that honour their legacy. Therefore, these bonds can provide comfort and meaning, even if in many circumstances this means remembering and reliving the pain of the loss that happened 25 years ago,” she points out.

This adjustment to a new life, even more than two decades later, must be understood as a reconstruction “of the meaning of and the relationship with the person who was lost.”

“We often say that people don’t abandon the past, they change their relationship with it; that’s what’s intended in a grieving process. But often this is what people feel: ‘If I don’t show that I continue to suffer, if I don’t show that I continue to deprive myself of everything that is joyful, I have no way of showing others that this person continues to be very important to me,'” says Sandra Torres.

Social support, especially in the case of a “violent and traumatic loss, clearly unexpected,” takes on a highly relevant role in these processes, as does the understanding that diversity is the touchstone for breaking a “myth that is created in society: grief is not a linear process,” and it is not a rule that it becomes easier with the passing of years.

“What’s important is that these moments focused on loss also alternate with moments when people begin to take on tasks, often those that the missing person used to do, adjust to new social roles and routines, manage to resolve practical day-to-day issues, and even, in some way, reassess their own identity and their own sense of purpose in life. And it is in this alternation and between these moments that people move forward,” advises Sandra Torres.

“Grief is simply love that has nowhere to go,” she adds.