The Chamber of Ribeira Grande in the Azores will create new drainage zones to avoid flooding

The city council of Ribeira Grande in the Azores will create new drainage zones next to houses in Gramas to prevent the accumulation of water on public roads in the area affected by floods earlier in the week, the municipality announced this Thursday.

On Monday, 20 families had to be relocated to the municipality due to heavy rain in the late afternoon, which also caused damage to 20 vehicles, establishments and public roads, with no casualties reported.

In a first estimate, the president of the Ribeira Grande municipality, Alexandre Gaudencio (NSD), told Lusa on Wednesday that losses amount to more than half a million euros in houses, vehicles and public property.

In a press release sent to the newsroom today, the municipality on the northern coast of the island of San Miguel says that in one of the places most affected by the floods, the Gramas region, the municipality “will move forward in the coming days.” , with new drainage areas next to houses to avoid water pooling on public roads.”

“A drainage basin will also be created on the west side of the city to minimize future episodes of flooding,” the note also said.

The city council president quoted in the statement states that “the Ribeirinha Bridge in the center of the parish is the public infrastructure that has suffered the most and now deserves a technical analysis by the competent authorities.”

“We will offer the Regional Public Works Authority, whose technicians are here to assess the damage with us, a detailed report to the Regional Civil Engineering Laboratory to help us prepare a project to strengthen this area,” he adds. mayor.

Alexander Gaudencio also told Lusa on Wednesday that the municipality has already provided an online form so that victims can “quickly report these losses” and then apply for the Emergency Fund once it is activated and receive “quick compensation.” for damage caused by bad weather.