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The municipalities of the Algarve that registered damage caused by heavy rains at the beginning of the month will also be covered by the support that the Government will grant, through the damage survey, the Minister of Territorial Cohesion revealed this Monday.
Speaking to the Lusa agency, Ana Abrunhosa indicated that a study was being carried out on the damage caused by bad weather “not only in Lisbon, but also in the Algarve”, specifically in Faro, where “rain situations” occurred extreme with damage.”
“It was not so public, but we are doing this survey, both in Lisbon and in the Algarve,” highlighted Ana Abrunhosa, on the sidelines of a visit to Herdade Vale da Rosa, which produces table grapes in Ferreira do Alentejo, in the district of Beja.
The minister added that the Government, as it did with the mayors of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, also spoke, but by phone, with the mayors of the Algarve municipalities on the damage caused by bad weather and support.
But here we are, with CCDR [Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional] and with the municipality of Faro, which is the one that we identified with the highest volume of rains and damage, to relieve the damages,” he said.
Stressing that she has no idea of the value of the damage, Ana Abrunhosa stressed that the Câmara de Loures was, for now, the only one that has already delivered to the Government “a notebook with the survey of damage to municipal equipment and infrastructure.”
“The slopes are very high values,” since they are “heavy investment-wise” infrastructures, he acknowledged, referring to the disclosure of the amount of damage for when “the survey is all done.”
According to the minister, the country already has “a set of legislation that allows it to cover” losses in various itemssuch as “municipal equipment and infrastructure, housing and economic activity”.
“To open the support measures, we must first measure” the damage and, despite the urgency of the situations, the process must be “very precise and rigorous,” he stressed.
The official recalled that “ideally there is insurance” and that in the case of damage that is not covered “it is that support” from the State can be considered, so when evaluating the damage it is necessary to “understand that insurance exists”.
The Minister of the Presidency, Mariana Vieira da Silva, announced, on Friday, support for the municipalities of Greater Lisbon affected by the floods caused by heavy rains, with the municipalities having to assess the damage, at the latest, on January 15.
On the 5th of this month, the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command registered 187 incidents related to bad weather, of which 92 in the municipality of Faro.
The intense rain that fell in the early morning of that day in the Algarve capital caused flooding, blocked roads and prevented the opening of schools and commercial establishments in the municipality of Faro.
The situation mobilized, throughout the Algarve, 410 operators, supported by 168 vehicles of Civil Protection agents and other entities, namely the fire brigades, with 308 operators, and the municipal Civil Protection services.
Regarding the visit to Herdade Vale da Rosa, the minister highlighted that the company is developing “new products from grapes”, such as the creation of balsamic vinegar and a new raisin, and the “extremely positive” way in which it houses the immigrant workers.
Source: Observadora
