Latest news and stories about disaster response in Portugal for expats and residents.
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The Portuguese Environmental Fund (Fundo Ambiental) allocated a total of 137 million euros for emergency support following recent severe weather events. Of this amount, 35 million euros are designated specifically for affected municipalities to aid in recovery efforts. This initiative underscores Portugal's commitment to environmental resilience and disaster response.
Today five lorries left Vizela loaded with tarpaulins, roof tiles and water, heading to the areas most affected by Storm Kristin.
PS secretary-general Carneiro has challenged the Government to activate the European Civil Protection Mechanism immediately after Storm Kristin, sending Luís Montenegro a programme of measures to address the impacts. Civil Protection experts concede a late assessment of the disaster’s scale but say Portugal has not yet exhausted national response capacity; the question of requesting generators from abroad remains under study. Other centre-left parties, including the PCP of Santarém, describe government measures as too late and insufficient, warning that a disaster of this magnitude cannot be left to the goodwill of local communities alone.
The Sertã town council has urged the Portuguese Government to send additional personnel and technical equipment to the area to provide on-the-ground assistance.
The president of the Portuguese Firefighters' League, António Nunes, criticises the lack of integration of available capabilities in disaster response and highlights failures in the civil protection system. The analyst emphasises that, in the first hours, many communities are cut off and that the response should be treated as national rather than just local.
Nuno Rogeiro analyses the international and national situation, with emphasis on the catastrophe that struck Portuguese territory and the lack of response from emergency services. Listen to the Leste/Oeste podcast.
In recent days, during visits to areas affected by the storm, no estimates of the damage were provided.
Kristin recalled past fires and storms when the necessary help did not arrive. “I wouldn't be surprised if eight years passed and we still saw the calamity of what this was because it's not Lisbon,” people fear.
The President of the Republic visited Figueira da Foz alongside the mayor, Pedro Santana Lopes, after Storm Kristin passed through.
The presidential candidate visited Leiria, Marinha Grande and Ourém alone and suggested the Government ask the European Union to extend the PRR deadline to 'free up' the construction sector. In the evening he abandoned a campaign event to remain 'in contact with mayors' from the affected regions.
During a visit to the municipality of Leiria, the President praised the response of the population affected by the bad weather for their 'good sense and resilience'.
Several ministers visited the hardest-hit regions. The Minister of the Presidency described the scale of the damage caused by the storm as “brutal”.
Clearing roads and restoring access to homes have been the firefighters' priority, says commander Paulo Santos, who calls for greater preparedness by communities for this type of event.
The Minister for the Presidency warns of the seriousness of the situation in the country's centre after depression Kristin.
Alberto Gonçalves comments on the Government's response to the storm that affected the centre of the country.
The Government approved on Thursday the declaration of a state of calamity, starting at midnight on 28 January and running until the end of 1 February, in around 60 municipalities most affected by storm Kristin. Speaking to journalists, the Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, said other municipalities could also be included.
Luís Montenegro thanked the 'remarkable and tireless effort' of the personnel on the ground.
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro emphasised on Thursday the role of insurance companies among the means available to mitigate the effects of depression Kristin, which has been striking the country over the past two days. “At this stage of mobilising repair resources we have the experience of insurance companies that have shown solidarity by speeding up the mechanisms of ...”
The government also announced the cancellation of the Prime Minister's trips to Andorra and Croatia. Montenegro will visit the most affected areas in Leiria and Coimbra on Thursday.
Paulo Raimundo offered his condolences to the families of the victims, emphasising that “the country faced an event of an intensity not seen for a long time”.
The president of Alvaiázere Municipality said the area is in a “catastrophic situation” and that local Civil Protection teams responded to the impact of Storm Kristin without regional or national support.
The government admits that restoring normality in the most affected municipalities will still 'take a few days'.
