Latest news and stories about storm response in Portugal for expats and residents.
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Help requests continue to arrive at the decision room for the Leiria Region.
Almost a week after Storm Kristin struck the Leiria Region, requests for help are still arriving at the operations room of the Sub-Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command, the centre of all decisions.
The Armed Forces have more than a thousand military personnel on the ground to help the population of the municipalities affected by the passage of storm Kristin. Over 200 vehicles, 23 engineering vehicles, generators, helicopters and an Air Force C-130 have also been made available. 'The Armed Forces have been carrying out tasks of clearing and cleaning roads ...
The Army tells the newspaper Público that it made the requested resources available. So far, only 240 military personnel have been deployed on the ground.
The Armed Forces said today they are taking part in assisting people affected by Storm Kristin, with 240 military personnel engaged in various relief operations.
With the election campaign constrained by the devastating effects of Storm Kristin, António José Seguro has been visiting—albeit without journalists—some of the municipalities most affected, particularly in the districts of Leiria and Santarém, and has also taken the opportunity to offer suggestions to the Government and to criticise the lack of assistance to the affected communities.
The Secretary-General of the PCP said this was “yet another drama left without the response that should have been provided”.
This Sunday there will be an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers to assess the state of calamity and adopt measures to support the population affected by the storm.
In Ferreira do Zêzere, the President of the Republic sought to reassure local communities, implicitly recognising failures of the national system in its response to the storm. On the ground, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa heard complaints from residents who have been without electricity, water or communications for several days, as reporter Miguel Fernandes reports.
“If a gesture and a word of solidarity and empathy were so necessary, they came from the people, from the communities, from the population — they did not come from the Government,” criticised the BE co-ordinator.
Pope Leo XIV has sent a message of solidarity to the people of Portugal following the impact of Storm Kristin.
The bishop of the Diocese of Coimbra said on Saturday that the Church is making assistance available to those most vulnerable due to Storm Kristin, and offered words of comfort and consolation to those who are suffering.
Because of Storm Kristine, António José Seguro is urging the Government to extend the PRR deadlines. The mayor of Leiria criticises 'political opportunism' during the election campaign. The Army is deploying teams.
The president of Iniciativa Liberal (IL), Mariana Leitão, criticised the Government today for having left the population “completely to their own devices”, accusing it of failing both in warning about the passage of depression Kristin and later in its response.
At 12:00, Marcelo said he supports a technical committee to manage the response to the storm.
The mayor said the state should have been declared “earlier” and criticised the “huge confusion” in the response to areas affected by Storm Kristin.
In addition to the resources already on the ground, others are on standby awaiting orders to deploy.
The initiative already has the support of the European People's Party (EPP) and will be discussed next week with the other parliamentary groups.
At 22:00, the GNR (National Republican Guard) stepped up patrols in regions hit by the storm to assist residents, secure affected zones and monitor for further incidents.
The presidential candidate appealed for solidarity and called for people to take part in volunteer efforts after Storm Kristin.
With the marks of storm Kristin’s passage still clearly visible in the Central region, André Ventura says he will adapt his campaign and may return to visit some of the areas most affected by the severe weather.
In contrast to André Ventura, António José Seguro visited the Ourém area without journalists or television cameras. Afterwards, the candidate spoke to the media.
The country activated the Copernicus Emergency Management Service at 13:40 on 28 January, the day part of the national territory was severely hit by Storm Kristin.
Storm Kristin swept across Portugal, entering near Leiria and causing widespread destruction particularly in the Centre and West. By 22:00 on Wednesday the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection had logged around 5,400 incidents; high winds uprooted trees, ripped roofs from buildings and disrupted services. Local authorities and Civil Protection have been responding minute-by-minute to damage and casualties, although casualty figures were reported inconsistently during the day. The situation remains dynamic as emergency teams continue operations and meteorological services monitor the depression’s evolution over the coming hours.