The government of the Azores has decided to activate the financial and legal regime to support the climate emergency to support families affected by bad weather on June 2 and 3 on the islands of Terceira and São Miguel, it was announced this Thursday.
According to a press release issued by the Azores Executive (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM), the decision was announced by the Regional Secretary for Environment and Climate, Alonso Miguel, adding that “the opening of a new application procedure in the sense of supporting affected families.”
The government official added that the government department he oversees is overseeing “the work to survey the damage caused by the heavy rains that affected several parishes in the municipalities of Praia da Vitoria on the island of Terceira and Ribeira Grande in Sao Miguel.”
The services of the regional secretariat for the environment have been in “close contact with the presidents of municipal councils and parish councils and, in this context, it has been verified that the necessary conditions have been met to activate this important instrument to support the climate emergency,” explained Alonso Miguel.
The legal and financial climate emergency support regime, which was created by the Azores Executive in 2022, aims to respond to situations of loss and damage to property resulting from extreme weather events, as well as to support public investments aimed at mitigating the effects of climate events. consequences of climate change and its consequences.
The government official also explained that “after the allocation of support provided for in the support systems administered by municipal councils, social security and other departments with competence in this matter, there are always losses and damage to property that cannot be included and which” few are covered by any existing insurance, hence the importance of legal and financial support for the climate emergency.”
The tool “directs revenue generated from fees charged for the provision of plastic bags to support affected families, including in this component not covered by other available support mechanisms,” he added, quoted in the same note.
Since its inception, the Climate Emergency Fund has “already been activated six times, with approximately fifty applications approved.”
Alonso Miguel emphasized that it is “an extraordinary instrument of support and solidarity with the Azoreans, who suddenly and unpredictably find their lives affected by the impacts caused by extreme weather events, which, unfortunately, as a result of climate change, are becoming more frequent.” intense and frequent.”
The Chamber of Ribeira Grande, the municipality of São Miguel, where flooding occurred on June 3, announced on Tuesday that it had asked the Azores government to activate the financial and legal regime to support the climate emergency to compensate for material damage.
The heavy rain that hit the municipality of Ribeira Grande on the island of São Miguel a week ago caused more than half a million euros in damage to houses, vehicles and public property, according to the municipality’s first assessment.
In this case, 20 families had to be relocated to the municipality due to heavy rain that occurred in the late afternoon, which also caused damage to vehicles, businesses and public roads, with no injuries reported.
The municipality on the north coast of San Miguel recently announced that it will create new drainage zones next to houses in Gramas to prevent water from pooling on public roads in the flood-stricken area, and on the western side of the city as a way to minimize future episodes of flooding .
The Ribeirinha Bridge, located in the center of the parish, was the public infrastructure that suffered the most, but the municipality also said it would offer the Regional Office of Public Works, whose technicians assessed the damage, a detailed report to the Regional Laboratory of Civil Engineering to prepare a project to strengthen the area.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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