Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 27^th September 2023

Good morning, Portugal is current experiencing a very nice week weather wise, but for those travelling to the UK today, the weather maybe rather different!

The first named storm of the autumn and winter season is expected to hit the United Kingdom and Ireland today. Named by the Met Office, Storm Agnes is likely to bring damage and disruption from strong winds and heavy rain. The Met Office severe weather warnings are already in force but we expect to get further updates as the week progresses.

Also concerning travel, for those who maybe visiting Greece there are forecasts of a rainfall accumulation of over 300 mm of rain over the next day or so. We are monitoring this on our Facebook group, SCP Protection against Natural Disasters, given the extreme nature of the event and potential impact.

A reminder that included in the groups services, is providing an overview of any natural disaster taking place overseas, or warnings of extreme weather that may result in a disaster, and therefore impact on visitors from Portugal in that area, or relatives of group members living in the affected area.

Although the air temperatures are very warm in most places on the mainland at present, autumn started on 23^rdSeptember with a minimum air temperature of 2.4C in Lamas de Mouro and in Montalegre 4.3C and Bragança Aerodrome 4.9C. It is therefore an apt time to start planning for the cooler months ahead. Unfortunately winter is the time when most household fires occur, many at night time often caused by lack of safety in the maintenance and use of safety of heating equipment.

We suggest therefore to start by making a plan/check list of what you need to do to keep warm this winter, such as: getting chimneys cleaned; buying pellets early as in previous year’s stocks have run out; checking gas pipes if you are using bottled gas fires – replace if in doubt; Check electrical heating equipment. If using fireplaces, salamanders or gas equipment maintain the correct ventilation in rooms in order to avoid the accumulation of harmful gas and also check expiry dates on fire extinguishers and the battery in carbon monoxide alarms. A few simple things but important in terms of safety. We will be covering more of this over the next few months.

The Judicial Police are reminding people of scams through “Vishing”. It seems that this scheme is back as several people have received telephone calls, in which they are “informed”, through a recording in English, that it is a contact from the Judiciary Police and/or EUROPOL. In this recording, the person is advised to select one of the options to establish a conversation with an “Inspector”. By activating this option, you are then “informed” that your bank account is being used in a fraudulent scheme and advised to transfer the respective balance to “secure accounts”, in order to prevent the criminals from appropriating it.

If you receive such a contact, do not provide your personal data or follow the instructions received. Record the number of the contact made and contact the Judicial Police or another police entity, reporting the situation.

On Monday the Minister of the Environment, Duarte Cordeiro, was attacked with green paint by three young climate activists, in Lisbon, during a conference, shouting slogans protesting against the Government concerning climate change. Although we accept that people feel passionately about this topic, these forms of demonstration do not work and contribute little to the climate cause. A more effective way to bring about change, is to follow and encourage others to follow, the ways to slow down the pace of climate change, which we can all contribute to in a more positive and constructive way, through garnering the support of society as a whole, including governments.

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

Minister of the Environment attacked with green paint at conference

Lisbon, 26 Sep 2023 (Lusa) – The Minister of the Environment, Duarte Cordeiro, was attacked today with green paint by three young climate activists, in Lisbon, during a CNN conference on energy transition in which the companies Galp and EDP participated.

A few minutes after the start of the conference, when the Minister of the Environment took the floor, the three young women went to the stage and threw green paint that hit Duarte Cordeiro on his clothes, while shouting slogans protesting the Government.

“The Government proved that it does not care about the climate transition by holding conferences with EDP and GALP”, “This will be the last gas winter”, “We do not allow them to sell our future” and “GALP and EDP do not They want to know about the just transition”, were some of the phrases that the young women shouted.

The activists were, however, removed from the room and the conference was interrupted for the minister to change his clothes and the room to be cleaned.

Duarte Cordeiro, invited to speak about the goals and public policies for the energy transition, returned to the room a few minutes later, and the conference resumed, in which he argued that “these forms of demonstration do not work” and contribute to the climate cause “lose social support.”

“I don’t complain about those who take to the streets to demand for their planet and their future, […] I complain about certain forms of demonstration that are intolerant and aim to seek, through intolerance, to silence others “, stated the Minister of the Environment, highlighting that the Government considers that companies should be “involved in the [energy] transition process”.

The protest action was claimed by the student group “Primavera das Ocupas – Fim ao Fóssil” on social media, with the action’s spokesperson, Matilde Ventura, accusing the conference promoted by CNN of being “a facade to clean up the image of companies in Portugal that are profiting from the climate and cost of living crises”.

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 20th September 2023

Yesterday the Secretary General criticised global governance in dealing in particular with developing countries in difficulty”. Guterres took the opportunity to point directly to Derna, in Libya, as an example of the “sad portrait” of a world of inequalities and injustices, where thousands of people were “victims of leaders – near and far”. “Thousands of people in Derna lost their lives in epic and unprecedented floods. They have been victims many times: victims of years of conflict, of climate chaos, victims of leaders – near and far – who have failed to find a path to peace,” he said.

He called for the reforming the Security Council in line with today’s world. “It means redesigning the international financial architecture so that it becomes truly universal and serves as a global safety net for developing countries in difficulty”.

His introduction reflects the realities being faced by many countries resulting from global warming and the extreme weather conditions being face, in particular developing countries. His example of the “Derna catastrophe” is particularly appropriate, as years of conflict resulted in a poorly maintained infrastructure through lack of investment, exemplified by the dams that failed after years of war and neglect, causing thousands of victims.

This is why effective action to prevent new and reduce existing disaster risks is so important. We cannot reduce the occurrence or intensity of climate-driven extreme weather events. But we can reduce our vulnerability and exposure, especially among those most at risk

But what can we do at individual level, people often ask? One simple answer to this is to follow the weather warnings when issued.

Last Sunday the crew at the Peniche Lifeguard Station rescued a 27-year-old kitesurfer, of Polish nationality, who was in difficulty at Cova de Alfarroba beach. He was being dragged by the force of the wind and tide, and was rescued by the crew at the Lifeguard Station. This is unfortunately an example of a reckless person that with the sea conditions at yellow warning went to the sea and ended up putting his and the rescuers lives at danger.

Turning to road safety, the “Cinto-me Vivo” road safety campaign concluded yesterday recording more than 11 thousand infractions in one week, of which 714 were related to the use of seat belts, helmets and child seats. The focus was very much on road safety and it is saddening to see so many examples where drivers are not following basic safety rules, including those that protect their own children. So a reminder to follow the laws/rules concerning safe driving including those concerning drink driving and use of mobile phone devices whilst driving, two of the biggest causes of fatal accidents.

Remember also when driving the safety of your pet(s). If you’re traveling with your pet, remember there are rules to follow, so choose the best form of transport This can be a carrier box – protects the animal and defends it in case of an accident; a chest / collar worn by the animal attached to the seatbelt – good option on longer journeys, as it prevents the animal from being confined to the space of the carrier box or a divider net or grid – option only for dogs, so they travel between the back seats and the boot compartment.

Lastly a word on spam emails. If you think you are receiving many each day you are certainly not alone! Nearly 56.5% of all emails were spam in 2022. The most common type of spam is marketing/advertising emails which account for nearly 36% of all spam emails. That translates into an average daily volume of 122.33 billion messages globally. Daily spam messages oscillate regularly, and the latest traffic statistics show it’s declining. The total spam volume worldwide was highest in July 2021, when 283 billion out of 336 billion emails were spam.

Adult-related content is the second-biggest spam category, accounting for roughly 31.7% of all spam messages.26.5% of all unwanted emails are related to financial matters, the third-biggest spam email category. We will be covering this topic in more depth shortly.

With that please have a safe week ahead.

News

UN: Guterres criticizes global governance “stuck in time”. “The world changed. Our institutions do not”

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, yesterday harshly criticized global governance “stuck in time”, giving as an example the United Nations Security Council itself and the Bretton Woods financial institutions.  Reference to: The World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organization.

In his opening speech at the Debate of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 78), Guterres highlighted that these two systems reflect the political and economic realities of 1945, when many countries now represented in the plenary of the UN were still under colonial rule.

“The world changed. Our institutions do not. We cannot effectively solve problems as they are if institutions do not reflect the world as it is. Instead of solving problems, they run the risk of becoming part of the problem”, said Guterres, who has positioned himself as a strong supporter of reforms of international financial institutions and the UN Security Council, calling today for its enlargement to the African Union.

According to the former Portuguese prime minister, a multipolar world needs strong and effective multilateral institutions, not governance stuck in time.

“We are increasingly close to a Great Fracture in economic and financial systems and commercial relations; that threatens a single and open Internet; with divergent strategies in technology and artificial intelligence; and potentially conflicting security structures,” he said.

The time has come, Guterres said, to renew multilateral institutions based on the economic and political realities of the 21st century – rooted in equity, solidarity and universality and anchored in the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law.

“This means reforming the Security Council in line with today’s world. It means redesigning the international financial architecture so that it becomes truly universal and serves as a global safety net for developing countries in difficulty”, he argued.

The head of the United Nations said he had “no illusions” that “reforms are a question of power”, with “many conflicting interests and agendas” that collide with the need for change.

But the alternative to reform is not the ‘status quo’, he argued.

“The alternative to reform is greater fragmentation. It’s reform or rupture”, pointed out António Guterres, adding that Democracy is under threat and that authoritarianism is on the march.

“As I said to the G20, it is time for a global commitment. (…) Leaders have a special responsibility to reach commitments in building a common future of peace and prosperity for our common good”, he further said.

At the start of this year’s UNGA, Guterres took the opportunity to point directly to Derna, in Libya, as an example of the “sad portrait” of a world of inequalities and injustices, where thousands of people were “victims of leaders – near and far”.

“Just nine days ago, many of the world’s challenges coalesced into a terrifying hellscape. Thousands of people in Derna lost their lives in epic and unprecedented floods. They have been victims many times: victims of years of conflict, of climate chaos, victims of leaders – near and far – who have failed to find a path to peace,” he said.

“The people of Derna lived and died at the epicenter of this indifference – as the skies released 100 times the monthly rainfall in 24 hours, as the dams failed after years of war and neglect, as everything they knew was wiped off the map. Even now, as we speak, bodies wash up on the shores of the same Mediterranean Sea where billionaires sunbathe on their superyachts,” he criticized.

According to Libyan authorities, 11,300 people have died and another 10,000 are missing, with estimates that the death toll could reach 20,000.

Derna, lamented Guterres, is a “sad portrait of the state of our world”, where “inequalities, injustices, and inability to face the challenges that arise in our midst” abound.

“Excellencies, our world is becoming unbalanced”, he highlighted.

The high-level debate of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly began yesterday, in New York, with the presence of dozens of heads of state and government from around the world, and will continue until the 26th.

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 13^th September 2023

Good morning, we have received several reports of scams this week, one of which a lady in the Algarve receiving a call from an automated line “saying they were the GNR that her ID card had been used in illegal activity and there is a warrant out for her arrest! It asked her to press 1 to be put through to the police. She pressed 1, but the call ID was from Croatia. A man answered in English (who sounded Indian or Pakistani) and asked for her name and postcode whereupon she hung up.

The other involves the following message received by someone on WhatsApp this morning, and being widely shared. It was brought to Safe Communities Portugal’s attention: it states.  “Don’t open anything on What’s App  Called Seismic Waves Car – showing photos of earthquake in Morocco and will pirate your phone in 10 seconds  Nothing can stop it Don’t Open it”

HOWEVER we have researched this and please read the following: The Seismic Wave Card is a hoax, incapable of hacking phones or stealing personal info. The claim that the card can hack phones is false; the card doesn’t exist in reality. The scam message is designed to exploit fears and anxieties; it lacks credibility. This scam relies on exploiting the anxieties and uncertainties of those affected by the earthquake, spreading misinformation and fear. “The assertion that the Moroccan earthquake seismic wave card can hack phones is unequivocally false. This is a baseless rumour circulating online.

It is unthinkable that in a major catastrophe such as this with over two thousands deaths that anyone can get any sort pleasure by spreading misinformation and fear. If you receive this do not share simply delete.

Yesterday Safe Communities Portugal gave a presentation at the Amigos do Museu São Brás de Alportel Coffee Morning kindly organized by Cliff Newton. Attending from Safe Communities were David Thomas President, Jane Thomas and Mike Evans member of the management team. Around 39 people attended and subjects discussed were, crime prevention, on-line scams, rural fires, land cleaning, major disaster preparedness. Great engagement and atmosphere as well as excellent questions. Very nice to see people who attended our events in the area some years ago. We are already discussing joint events for the future.

Now that earthquake disaster is on every social media we remember that each year government conducts a national earthquake awareness exercise.  The National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) promotes, usually in November, the national seismic risk awareness exercise, called “A TERRA TREME”. Safe Communities Portugal has supported this each year in a number of ways.

This initiative is part of the activities that form part of the National Strategy for Preventive Civil Protection and aims to empower the population to know how to act before, during and after an earthquake, sensitizing citizens to the fact of living in a risk society, and challenging themselves o to get involved in the process of building safer and more resilient communities. The exercise comprises the practice of 3 simple gestures that can make a difference to those who practice them in the face of an earthquake.

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. We will be providing more information about this year’s exercise as soon as it becomes available.

Lastly with thunderstorms around and two people struck by lightning a few days ago, a reminder. Use the 30 second rule to determine the threat level of lightning. This rule is simple and consists of counting the seconds between seeing lightning and hearing the thunder. If this value is less than 30 seconds, seek shelter.

During a thunderstorm: Never stay under a tall, isolated tree. Most thunderstorm victims are struck when they seek shelter under a tree; avoid being near trees, communication towers, electricity poles, metal fences, etc; Check that you are not at the highest altitude in the surrounding area. Do not remain isolated on the top of a hill, in an open field, or on the beach, you’ll be the highest point around and may attract lightning for that reason alone. If you are in an open field and you see a possible thunderstorm arriving seek shelter in a low-lying area such as a ravine or valley – never lie down in an open field.

Our team art Safe Communities wish you a safe week ahead

News

Portuguese in the EP want more action to combat natural disasters that are a daily occurrence

Strasbourg, September 12, 2023 (Lusa) – Portuguese MEPs insisted today on the need for more investment from the European Union (EU) to prevent natural disasters and dramatized that catastrophic meteorological phenomena are already part of the daily lives of European citizens.

“Every year we regret the fires, the drought, the deaths, the floods”, began by saying the social democrat José Manuel Fernandes, who is part of the political family of the European People’s Party (EPP), during a debate in the European Parliament (PE) in Strasbourg, on the prevention of disasters such as heat waves, floods and forest fires.

“More than words”, continued the MEP, actions are needed and the 27 “are not doing what they are supposed to do”: “We don’t lack money, you have storms of millions.”

And he criticized the socialist Government in Portugal, for rejecting “8,300 million euros for the loan aspect of the Recovery and Resilience Plan [PRR] that it could use”, in the view of José Manuel Fernandes for “forest planning, helping the rural world” and prepare for dry periods with irrigation aid.

Despite criticism of national political decisions, at European level there appears to be consensus on this matter.

Socialist MEP Sara Cerdas, from Socialists & Democrats (S&D), called for “greater preparation” among the 27 and “more effective responses” that can minimize the consequences of increasingly severe meteorological phenomena.

“Extreme heat waves, floods, forest fires are already part of our daily lives”, so he called for more action, quickly.

Communist MEP João Pimenta Lopes, who belongs to the Left in the EP, highlighted the lack of appropriate funding and “support for disaster prevention” which has consequences for most EU citizens.

“Instead, we see the reduction or diversion of cohesion funds and other funds to fuel the profits of, among others, energy and armaments groups,” he added.

Much of the territory of European Union countries has been hit by extreme weather phenomena in recent years. In the last four months, for example, there have been heat waves across the EU, floods and large forest fires that have destroyed homes and ended up causing casualties. 

Tuk-tuk driver caught trafficking drugs at Albufeira Rally

The driver of a tourist motorized tricycle, known as a “tuk-tuk”, was arrested during the Albufeira Rally, after being seen handing over “several packages of cocaine” to another person, the Command said this Tuesday. GNR territory of Faro.

The suspect was arrested in flagrante delicto on a public street last Saturday. In addition to the packages of cocaine, the GNR soldiers patrolling the rally seized 290 euros in cash from the 34-year-old tuk-tuk driver.

The GNR then carried out searches of the same man’s house and vehicle, seizing three more doses of cocaine, 552 doses of hashish and cannabis, and almost 12 thousand euros in cash.

The detainee was brought before the Portimão Judicial Court, where a criminal investigation judge decided to release him, with the obligation to report twice a week to the police station in his area of ​​residence.

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 6^th September 2023

Good morning, Whereas up to around 10 days all the news was on rural fires there has been a sudden change with the arrival of a “cold air drop”, which lived up to its name especially in Spain.

Portugal was indeed fortunate – this time – but what happened in Madrid for instance and other areas of Spain could easily have taken place in Portugal had the positioning of the air mass slightly different.

On Monday and Tuesday severe storms hit Greece after an extended period of wildfires. The devastation in some areas is considerable with over 600 mm of rain in some parts, extensive flooding and cars being washed out to sea. Yesterday’s map of Europe contrasted this with the well above temperatures in the UK and the emergence of another heatwave for some other parts of Europe.

 It is important to bear this in mind for the future, which is one of the reasons why we post the effects and images of such extreme weather phenomena in other countries, simply because it could happen here and we therefore need to be prepared.

One thing is for sure the situation regarding the frequency and intensity of extreme weather conditions is not set to improve, so we really must be aware off the effects and what we can do to reduce the impact on our lives.

 Away from fires and floods we now come to the topic of earthquakes and tsunamis. We have posted on our new Facebook group some information and advice concerning these topics, so people know what to do should this take place. Reminder that Portugal is a moderate risk of earthquakes and although there is little we can do to prevent these, there is much that can be done in preventing the impacts and reducing the loss of life through taking the right action should such a disaster take place.

Coincidentally yesterday there were two small very shallow earthquakes south of the Algarve within 10 hours of each other at 3.9 and 3.7 magnitude respectively. The latter although smaller was felt by more people, being only 35 kilometres from the Algarve coastline.  Being small there were no injuries or damage – BUT what if they had been much larger! Would this have caused damage? Would a Tsunami have resulted? The fact that one of these was at night time when most people were indoors, how would this have impacted on the number of casualties?

These are subject that we may not like to even think about, but we cannot and should not ignore. Knowing what to do in an earthquake and early warning of an approaching tsunami is essential, the latter in particular for those living close to the coastline in certain areas of the Algarve, as well as Cascais and Lisbon. We at Safe Communities will continue to play our role in explaining the risk, but it is up to everyone to be aware of what action to take. In an earthquake “Drop, Cover Hold” and in a tsunami try an immediately move to higher ground.

Turning lastly to the drought situation, as expected there was a drop in water levels in most reservoirs recorded by the National Water Resources Information System at the end of August compared to one month earlier, which is expected in August, but the better news is that the situation has much improved compared to the same month in 2022. However we do need to conserve water as parts of the country are still at severe drought.

So on that slight optimistic note please have a safe week ahead.

News

Vaccination against flu and covid-19 starts on September 29th

Porto, September 5, 2023 (Lusa) – Vaccination against flu and Covid-19 starts “with a bang” on September 29, the executive director of the National Health Service (SNS) announced today.

“The scenario we have on the table is on September 29th to start [with vaccination against influenza and covid-19] with strength and with enormous support from the Portuguese”, said Fernando Araújo at the 2nd Symposium of the World Health Organization Saúde (OMS) dedicated to the digital future, taking place in Porto.

The person in charge, accompanied by the Minister of Health, assumed that vaccination will be “something complex” because it will involve a very wide range of entities from the Ministry of Health.

Vaccination against Covid-19 will take place in health centers simultaneously with the flu, similar to what happened in 2022.

What is new this year is that, for the first time, it will also be possible to administer the vaccine against Covid-19 in community pharmacies that have a vaccine administration service, professionals with specific training in administering vaccines and who express their willingness to participate in the campaign, according to an ordinance published on August 17th in the Diário da República.

These pharmacies will be able to operate longer opening hours, with the list of members available on the websites of the National Health Service, the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) and Infarmed.

According to the ordinance, it will now be up to the DGS to issue the technical guidelines that govern the vaccination process, namely defining the vaccination criteria and eligible users.

Storage Bulletin in Reservoirs in Mainland Portugal – Water volume drops in August compared to July

Lisbon, September 5, 2023 (Lusa) – The volume of water stored decreased in all monitored river basins in Portugal compared to July, according to data from the National Water Resources Information System (SNIRH) for the last day of August. (Left map).  However compared to August 2022 (right map there is a vast improvement)

Of the 60 monitored reservoirs, 11 had water availability greater than 80% of the total volume and 19 less than 40%.

According to SNIRH data available today, at the end of August the Barlavento (8.4%), Sado (21.8%), Arade (28.6%) and Mira (31%) basins had less water availability. 8%).

The Lima basin had the largest volume of water, 86.3% of its capacity, followed by the Douro (79.6%), Cávado (78.7%) and Ave (76.9%).

August 2023 storages by river basin were generally higher than the August storage averages (1990/91 to 2021/22), except for the Sado, Guadiana, Mira, Ribeiras do Algarve and Arade basins.

Each river basin may correspond to more than one reservoir.