Mayor of Figueiró dos Vinhos asks for help

Thursday, 29 January 2026RSS
Mayor of Figueiró dos Vinhos asks for help

The mayor of Figueiró dos Vinhos, in the Leiria district, today asked for help and for a declaration of calamity, warning that the municipality, because of the bad weather, is “living through one of the worst moments in its history”.

Context & Explainers

A state of calamity (situação de calamidade) is the highest level of civil emergency Portugal can declare under its Civil Protection framework, short of a constitutional state of emergency. It is typically declared by the government in response to severe natural disasters such as major wildfires, floods, or storms.

A calamity declaration activates the National Civil Protection Emergency Plan, mobilizes additional resources, and grants authorities expanded powers to restrict movement, requisition private property, and deploy military assets. It also unlocks emergency financial support for affected populations and municipalities.

Portugal uses a three-tier alert system: alerta (alert), contingência (contingency), and calamidade (calamity), each with escalating levels of coordination and authority. The state of calamity requires coordination between the national government, ANEPC, local authorities, and emergency services.

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