Andre Ventura says the earthquake should make us think about what the country hasn’t done

Cegi President André Ventura said the earthquake that struck on Monday night, with its epicenter 58 kilometers west of Sines, should make politicians think about what the country failed to do to prevent it.

“It is important that we all understand that what happened this Monday deserves universal reflection, especially by political leaders, about what they can do and what the country has not done in recent years,” he told reporters.

Speaking during a visit to the Vale do Sousa agricultural fair in Penafiel, Porto district, the leader recalled that last year his party presented to the Assembly of the Republic (AR) several projects related to the seismic reinforcement of infrastructures and the need to prepare this reinforcement.

“I think that today’s events should remind us all of the importance of this strengthening and that it can happen at any moment, when we least expect it. And the country must be prepared for this,” he stressed.

An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale, with its epicenter located 58 kilometers west of Sines, in the district of Setubal, was registered at 05:11 on August 26, causing no personal or material damage.

The shock was felt in several areas of Portugal, with greater force in the Setubal and Lisbon regions.

André Ventura announced this Monday that Chega will ask the AP to reactivate the working group on the seismic issue within the parliamentary committees and will demand an urgent survey of the main structures in the areas most at risk seismic.

This study, he noted, should be carried out “not only in Lisbon or Setubal, but in all the most densely populated regions where the risk is higher due to a number of conditions being studied.”

Noting that there are several hospitals, some of the largest in the country, that “would be completely inoperable in the event of a major earthquake,” he insisted that it was the duty of politicians to “anticipate crises” and be able to anticipate risks.

“We will urgently ask parliament to ensure that this survey is carried out so that we know at least which structures need such strengthening,” he added to journalists.

André Ventura, on the contrary, warned of serious failures in the provision of information by civil protection services that occurred overnight and which must be corrected by the guardianship authorities.

“There were many complaints from citizens who could not access information on civil defense and government websites, as well as in terms of urgent telephone contact,” he lamented.