Concerns by authorities today over rising river levels couldn’t be better exemplified than what is happening in Alcácer do Sal.
The Alentejan town flooded in parts yesterday due to the rising Sado river.
For the time being a source for the town council has said there is little in the way of damage – just a great deal of inconvenience.
Rain is showing no let up – and dams upstream are releasing water (due to their rising levels), thus “we are unable to change the situation”, Alcácer’s councillor for Civil Protection António Grilo has told Lusa.
The next few hours will be dedicated to safeguarding the well-being and understanding the needs of residents in buildings located in the lower part of the town, he explained, adding that as of mid-morning, “it has not been necessary” to evacuate people from their homes.
“We need to safeguard the people who are inside their homes, understand what their needs are, provide them with some food, some medicine, and try to determine if it is necessary to evacuate them,” he said.
According to Grilo, these are residents who live in buildings, mostly with “three floors,” next to the ‘avenida’ which is submerged and which in some places has “more than a meter of water.”
This morning, the municipality, together with firefighters, is “assessing and considering the removal of people” from their homes, in order to “meet people’s expectations in a safe manner,” Grilo went on, not explaining how many people he is actually talking about
“There were people who went to relatives’ homes yesterday [Wednesday] afternoon, when the water started to rise,” he added.
Also on Wednesday afternoon, the municipality, as a preventive measure, requested that E-Redes cut off the electricity to the area and evacuated the AURPICAS nursing home – transferring the 20 residents to either another facility belonging to the same institution located in the upper part of the city or to the homes of relatives.
Speaking to Lusa, António Grilo highlighted that, although these episodes of flooding caused by the Sado River are not a new phenomenon for the population of Alcácer l, “it has been many years since” such a situation has occurred.
“The river tide is rising until around midday, and if there is rain, which is forecast, it could eventually worsen the situation, with water rising, including in the rest of the riverfront further downstream,” he warned.
On its Facebook page, the Municipality reports that, in addition to the coastal avenue (with restricted traffic) and Avenida dos Aviadores, which is flooded and closed to traffic, the Ponte Metálica (Metal Bridge) over the Sado River and the Forno da Cal roundabout are also among areas with restrictions and/or flooding – as well as several roads elsewhere in the municipality.
Source: Lusa
