Portugal’s minister of state and foreign affairs has said that the situation facing the country after recent storms is serious – affecting all economic sectors, as well as involving fatalities and multiple displaced people – but he downplays any impact on the country’s image abroad.
On the sidelines of the 35th National Congress of the Portuguese Hotel Association, taking place in Porto yesterday, when asked whether the national emergency could become an added challenge for the tourism sector, Paulo Rangel said “no”.
“No. (…) In a disaster of this magnitude, which has already caused many fatalities and left tens of thousands of families – for one reason or another – still in a very difficult situation, it obviously affects the whole country. That is, all its sectors. Now, honestly, I also think that it is one thing to be prepared for exceptional events, but it is quite another to think that they will become the norm,” he added (which is interesting because we are hearing ‘experts’ suggest that the country must be prepared for more extreme events along the lines that it has been experiencing).
“We are in the midst of an ongoing crisis”, Rangel admitted. “First, we must all be very vigilant and follow all the instructions from the authorities. This is a serious moment (…)”, but it is too early to ‘take stock’.
The minister also pointed to the government’s response in launching support lines, with funds “made available on Wednesday”.
“Payments have already begun. Today, many people are already receiving them, within 15 days. (…) I see so much criticism and I don’t see people looking at something that is essential, which is a quick response,” he said.
But, “obviously, while we have floods throughout the country, some of them with very serious risks, we are not in a position to be here praising this work. The work is not finished, unfortunately, but if it were, it would be a sign that we are now recovering (…). And so, I really think that we should not, so to speak, take stock without first letting the situation normalise,” he concluded.
In a way, Paulo Rangel delivered what could be called ‘a great big nothing burger’ – but the truth is that by the time Easter, and then the summer season, comes round, visitors will have forgotten anything they may be hearing now over the news about Portugal’s flooding. Indeed, the international news is so full of other stories (and scandals) that Portugal’s trials with bad weather are not being that widely broadcast.
Source: LUSA
