Latest news and stories about military support in Portugal for expats and residents.
With the central region still suffering the impact of Storm Kristin, and the country awaiting the passage of Storm Leonardo, the Portuguese Army has around 1,200 military personnel on the ground across four districts and 13 municipalities, carrying out clearance, communications and logistical support operations to mitigate potential flooding. On Tuesday, ...
Over 1,000 military personnel are providing support to affected communities, with the Army bolstering platoons tasked with removing rubble and clearing damaged areas.
Commander Luís Martins says the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection should have requested military assistance earlier, as happened in other disasters. He reports delays in the mobilisation of resources and warns that 'people cannot continue to wait for assistance'.
The army has increased its on-the-ground presence. Elite units, including commandos and paratroopers, will provide support to affected local communities.
In addition to military personnel, the Armed Forces have 74 vehicles on the ground for support operations. Storm Kristin has already caused eight deaths; two of them fell from roofs they were attempting to repair.
On Saturday the Army said it had mobilised additional teams to two municipalities, but not yet to Leiria, where the socialist mayor complains of a lack of support. Five promised generators have not yet arrived at their destination, but the Government says the problem is one of transport and that it does not need more sent from the EU. The Secretary of State wants the armed forces to help prevent flooding in the coming days.
The Armed Forces have made generators available to the municipality of Figueiró dos Vinhos.
Without giving a concrete number of military personnel for this type of operation, the Minister of Defence said that “hundreds or thousands, if necessary”, would be available.
The Minister of National Defence, Nuno Melo, said today that the Armed Forces are involved in supporting communities affected by Storm Kristin, adding that military facilities were also affected. 'The Armed Forces are involved in supporting the civilian population in this case as well, and the Armed Forces themselves have suffered substantial damage, unfortunately,' he said.
