"Train of Storms" Causes Floods and Worry in Portugal
- @ Cynthia Adina Kirkwood
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
A section of the A1 motorway, in the Casais area of Coimbra Municipality, where the Mondego River dike burst from the force of water on February 12. Traffic on the motorway, which connects Lisbon to Porto, had been stopped earlier as a precaution, reported SIC Notícias. (Photo from SIC Notícias)
Before dawn, I woke to the sound of strong wind and a slow ping, ping, ping, rain trickling in from the chimney, which has a defect that is silent, usually. However, living with Portugal's recent ferocious rainfall, I got up and put down a bucket. And I went to bed with the light on.
If the ceiling caved in, or the oak outside fell on the house, I wanted to witness it.
Yet, these situations are difficult, if not impossible, to predict beforehand.
A friend leaving his Viseu apartment for a flight in Porto stepped into water when he left the elevator in the building's basement. He managed to open the garage door to his car but could not open the street garage door. He had to reset a tripped circuit breaker.
A meeting with another had to be postponed because a stone wall on his caminho público (public road) in Ervedal da Beira, Oliveira do Hospital Municipality, had collapsed, trapping him and other residents in the valley. That same day, municipality workers fixed the wall.
Yesterday, when I walked up the road from my house, an old oak had lost its upper half, which I walked around. When I returned, the debris had been taken away. Thank you for that, neighbor.
We are acting as though the weather is normal. It is anything but normal. Relentless rain, hurricane winds and consecutive storms have battered Portugal.
The death toll from the storms rose to 16 on February 12, when a 72-year-old man, who had fallen while repairing a relative's roof in Pombal, died in the University of Coimbra's hospital, reported SIC Notícias (February 12).
Successive storms led to declarations of a state of calamity in dozens of municipalities, caused power outages for hundreds of thousands, isolated populations into islands and caused widespread flooding, reported SIC Notícias (February 11).
In January, there was Storm Ingrid, who passed the baton to Joseph, who passed it to Kristin and, in February, Leonardo passed it to Marta.
Storm Oriana Won't Hit Portugal Directly
Strom Oriana does not affect the mainland, reported the Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (IPMA).
"Between the late afternoon of the 12th and the morning of the 13th, mainland Portugal will be crossed by a frontal system associated with a law-pressure area centered north of the Iberian Peninsula. As it moves toward Spain, it will deepen, giving rise to the depression Oriana.
"This depression will not directly affect mainland Portugal since its development already takes place in Spanish territory. However, the aforementioned frontal system will bring periods of rain, sometimes heavy, and wind with gusts up to 80 km/h (50 mph), across almost the entire country, and yellow-level warnings for precipitation and gusts already have been issued."
The color warnings are gray, green, yellow, orange and red, the latter meaning high-risk conditions. Yellow means "weather sensitive activities may be affected. Pay attention to the development of weather conditions".
2nd Wettest January Since 2000
The Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera characterized January as "the 2nd wettest since 2000" and the "14th wettest since 1931". Total precipitation was 233.4 millimeters (9.2 inches), which corresponds to about twice the average value for 1991-2020, 105.0 mm, (4.1 inches).
"All analyzed stations (there are 93 stations in total) exceeded the average value for the month; in 78 percent of the stations, the total was equal to or greater than 2 times the average value; in 40 percent of the stations, the total was 2.5 to 3.5 times the average value."
The institute noted highlights of January:
Wind: Storm Kristin generated wind intensity values exceeding 130 kilometers per hour (81 mph) in the districts of Coimbra, Leiria and Castelo Branco.
"At the IPMA network stations, the gust value recorded at the Leiria meteorological station was 156 km/hr (97 mph) on the 28th.
Water in Soil: All municipalities show soil water values above field capacity, with municipalities in the interior North, Central region and southern coast very close to total soil saturation.
So, Portugal finished January with "very close to total soil saturation" in most regions.
Since Storm Kristin, the "train of storms", which another journalist coined and is being used by many, in Portugal have wreaked a destruction trail, which is difficult to quantify at this time, reported SIC Notícias (February 11).
State of Calamity
The disaster led to the resignation of the Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral. Prime Minister Luís Montenegro will be assuming her responsibilities temporarily.
On January 29, the national government declared a situação de calamidade (state of calamity) for 60 out of 308 municipalities until February 1. It was extended to February 8 and, then, until February 15 for 68 municipalities.
A state of calamity can be declared only when, in light of occurrence, or danger of a serious accident or catastrophe, and its foreseeable intensity, it is deemed necessary to adopt measures to prevent, react or restore normal living conditions, according to Coronavirus: Portugal -- State of Calamity and State of Emergency (May 5, 2020), Lexology, Vieira de Almeida Sociedade de Advogados.
Among other actions, "the declaration of the situation of calamity determines the triggering of the local political and institutional coordination structures and entails the automatic engagement of the civil protection emergency plans at the respective territorial level."
A state of calamity is not a state of emergency, the latter "allows ordering the partial suspension of the citizens' rights, freedoms and guarantees based on the occurrence (or threat) of a public disaster. A state of emergency can only be declared if a public disaster occurs or is threatened".
€2.5 Billion in Assistance
On February 5, the Council of Ministers approved a series of measures to speed up recovery in the areas slammed by successive storms, while also extending the state of calamity until February 15, according to the official República Portuguese website (February 6).
"The government approved an exceptional scheme to streamline processes and decisions on urgent repair and reconstruction works in the most affected regions, eliminating the need for prior administrative control."
How to Apply for Help
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro cited the introduction of online applications for homes, agriculture and businesses as a means to speed up responses.
Applications are submitted through the website of the Regional Coordination and Development Commissions (CCDR) responsible for the affected areas. The following links were posted on February 13 on the government online website:
According to República Portuguese (February 6):
"Starting on February 6, 275 Citizens Bureaus and Spaces will be operating in the 68 councils covered by the disaster state status. On the same day, the first mobile Citizens Bureau and internet access units will begin operating, ensuring support is provided in the more remote areas.
"Of the overall €2.5 billion package announced on 1 February, the assistance for housing reconstruction is already being paid, while the assistance on family income will begin payment by 9 February.
"The Prime Minister also announced that the Employment and Vocational Training Institute (IEFP) will join the task force set up to coordinate the assistant and reconstruction actions by collecting staff from the constructive companies and local municipalities. The IEFP will use its network to recruit workers in Portugal and will operate as a channel for regulator labor migration, allowing staff to be allocated quickly to the areas most hit."
According to República Portuguese (February 11), the government is also working on funding mechanisms for municipalities, namely with the European Investment Bank for the recovery of public infrastructure.
Mondego River
After a meeting in Coimbra with political, civil protection and environmental heads, Luís Montenegro said:
"Some people are confronted with the circumstance of not being able to access their homes, of not having the possibility of leading their normal life, dropping their children off at school, going to work, caring for relatives and having what is theirs."
Prime Minister Montenegro regretted that some people have not yet had their power turned on again in their homes and that difficulties in communication are still a problem.
After the meeting, he visited the Açude Bridge, where he checked the rise of the Mondego River, according to República Portuguese (February 11).
The Açude Bridge was built as a consequence of the Aguieira Dam, creating a reservoir and a road crossing of the Mondego.
The storage volume at Aguieira has been rising since February 11, when it was at 72 percent), reaching its highest level since the start of the floods in the Lower Mondego on February 12, at 99.04 percent, reported Observador (February 12).
On February 12, the president of Montemor-o-Velho Municipality said that the Aguieira dam is in a constant state of risk as it is at 99 percent of its storage capacity.
"It is a situation of constant risk," José Veríssimo, the president of Montemor-o-Velho Municipality, told Lusa news agency, reported Observador (February 12), after the floods in his municipality in Coimbra District, especially after the collapse of the banks of the Mondego on February 11. "With this volume of water, the dam will have to release water."
José Veríssimo said that the water in the field of the Lower Mondego continues to rise, albeit slowly.
"There is some relief of pressure in the main channel of the Mondego River after the dike burst on Wednesday."
Up to €10,000 Support for Housing and Home Renovation
People who own their permanent homes or rent their primary residence are eligible for support covering up to 100 percent of the remaining eligible expenses after insurance claims, according to the government online website. In other words, if the insurance payout covers 70 percent of the expenses, the remaining 30 percent can be covered by this support.
The maximum limit is €10,000 per dwelling. Up to €5,000 may be based on photographs, without an on-site inspection.
Otherwise, allocation of this support depends on an inspection by the Regional Coordination and Development Commissions (CCDR) and the municipal councils of the affected municipalities.
Eligible expenses for primary residences include those incurred for the following:
Work necessary for the repair, rehabilitation or reconstruction of damage;
Temporary relocation.
If there is insurance, there must be a response from the company before proceeding with the application.
In Portugal, about 47 percent of homes are not insured at all, according to the Portuguese Insurance Association (APS), reported Expresso (August 26, 2024). A total of 34 percent are protected by fire or multi-risk insurance, while 19 percent of homes have insurance with seismic risk coverage.
Required documents for government support are a Citizen Card, proof of IBAN of bank account, which must include account holder's name; property registration for owners or lease agreement for tenants; proof of regularized tax status or self-declaration under oath that there are no debts; proof of regularized contribution status or self-declaration under oath that there are no debts; photographs or videos of damage; brief description of damage; insurance policy number and claim details, and email address.
For help with the application, go to one of the citizen support desks.
Other support measures are a three-month mortgage payment moratorium (contact the bank); tax moratorium until April 30, and social support of up to €573 per person or €1,075 per household, with subsidies for essential expenses, paid monthly for up to 12 months.
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