Civil protection warned this Friday of the possibility of flooding due to the expected worsening of the weather situation over the weekend starting today, with particular incidence in the north and center of the continent.
Speaking to reporters, the head of the National Emergency Management and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), Andre Fernandez, said that ANEPC has decided to raise the state of resource readiness to the orange level in the 16 sub-regions of the entity, with a particular focus on the north, the center, and Lisbon and the Valley Tagus on the mainland.
A preventative SMS message will also be sent to the public warning them of the risk of flooding.
According to Andre Fernandez, the Portuguese Environment Agency reported that the river basins with the greatest flood potential are those of the Lima rivers (specifically Arcos de Valdeves, Ponte da Barca and Ponte de Lima), Cavado , Douro (especially in the basins south of Tamega and Thua), Vouga and Mondego.
“Floods are possible in these river basins, as well as flooding in urban areas, so [os cidadãos] must take self-protection measures against the risk of flooding,” he said, stressing that there is saturation due to the rain that has fallen in recent days, which could worsen the flooding.
The head of civil defense also noted the forecast for winds, sometimes strong, and advised to prevent objects from falling on public roads.
On the other hand, strong seas are still expected, especially on Sunday, which means staying in coastal areas is not recommended.
He added that damage caused by Thursday’s bad weather in Ponte de Lima, an area particularly vulnerable to flooding, was being assessed.
System readiness at the orange level provides for a 25% increase in the level of personnel throughout the country. The ANEPC Operational Coordination Center will meet on Saturday and Sunday to monitor ongoing developments and, if necessary, extend the state of high alert beyond Sunday.
According to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), the areas of Porto, Viana do Castelo, Leiria, Aveiro, Coimbra and Braga are under an orange warning today due to the forecast of heavy seas.
The warning will remain in effect for these areas until 12:00 pm on Saturday as northwesterly waves of 5 to 6 meters are expected with a maximum height of 10 metres.
These counties will then be placed under a yellow warning from 12pm Saturday until 6am Sunday.
Due to disturbances at sea, IPMA has placed a yellow warning in the Faro and Beja areas until 18:00 on Saturday, in Setúbal until 00:00 on Sunday and in Lisbon until 6:00 on Sunday.
The IPMA has also issued an orange warning due to the forecast of persistent and sometimes heavy rain for the areas of Porto, Viana do Castelo and Braga, which is in effect from 09:00 Saturday until 00:00 Sunday.
An orange warning is issued by IPMA whenever there is a “moderate to high risk meteorological situation” and a yellow warning when there is a risk situation for certain activities depending on the meteorological situation.
The IPMA also placed the Madeira archipelago under a yellow warning for rain, sometimes heavy, from 03:00 to 18:00 on Sunday.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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