Coimbra, Portugal
Latest news and stories from Penela.
The IC3 and ER 347 sections are closed following severe weather. The Assembly of the Republic approved a recommendation to the Government to repair the roads and compensate Penela for extraordinary expenses.
The municipality of Penela is pressuring the national infrastructure agency to restore access to a road that has been shut down for four months.
The statements were made during the third day of the Open Presidency.
António José Seguro stated that “there is an urgency to resolve” the damaging situations caused by the bad weather and considered it necessary to “draw conclusions” for the future because “every year there is a winter.”
The President of the Republic said that his nominees for the Council of State will be announced next week.
14 emergency personnel were mobilised to the scene of the accident.
14 emergency personnel were mobilised to the scene of the accident.
The Mayor of Penela, Eduardo Nogueira dos Santos, has called on the media and parliamentary groups to visit the municipality to witness the impact of the closure of the former IC3 road. Following a series of storms that ended on February 10, approximately 100 kilometres of the road have been closed due to pavement damage, causing significant disruption. Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) stated that the project design is in its final contracting phase, with delivery expected in June, after which the construction tender will be launched. The project is estimated to cost at least 1.5 million euros and involves complex earthworks and structural stabilisation. Meanwhile, the municipality has invested over half a million euros in upgrading alternative routes, as the road closure continues to affect local residents, businesses, and emergency response times.
Two state-owned roads closed since February have isolated communities and cost the municipality over 500,000 euros. The Left Bloc demands answers from the Minister of Infrastructure.
For a month now, the municipality of Penela has been split in two, following the collapse of the former IC3, the national road that crosses the territory. Infra-Estruturas de Portugal does not yet have a solution for the situation.
Penela Town Hall asks residents to call the GNR (National Republican Guard) if in doubt.
The mayor of Penela said today that the municipality is still 'turned upside down', that there are concerns about power cuts, communications and damaged homes, and announced the reopening of schools for the second term.
The government declared a state of calamity from 00:00 on Wednesday until 23:59 on 1 February for around 60 municipalities, a number that may increase.
Losses are expected to be of the order of €150,000 to €200,000, according to the company's manager.
The mayor says they need “many hands — many men and women who are available to be on the ground”.
The measure is also available to foreign citizens residing in Penela.
The losses caused by the passage of depression Kristin in the municipality of Penela could exceed two million euros, the mayor told the Lusa news agency, stressing that the estimate is 'initial and very conservative'.
The Municipal Emergency and Civil Protection Plan has been activated in Penela to coordinate emergency services and resources and to protect residents amid an ongoing situation.
More than eight years after the Pedrógão fire, the first stone was laid for a wildfire shelter in Ferraria de São João, in the municipality of Penela.
The municipality of Penela has an area of 134.8 square kilometres, occupying 0.2% of the national territory. In size, it ranks 215th out of Portugal's 308 municipalities.
