It’s not that people are unkind necessarily, or uncompassionate, but more that our human nature might have us focus on comfort and joy in the here and now, more than the woes of the past or future – if we were fortunate enough to not have our lives or livelihoods too badly devastated, or even lost.
Even as I write, many weeks after the horrific combined effects of storms Kristin, Leonardo and Marta, and whilst nearly all grid power is restored, around 50,000 people could still be without communication services across 33 municipalities (mainly in the Leiria and Coimbra districts), too many will still be displaced or homeless, and structural or infrastructural repairs look likely to go on for months, all at huge personal and societal cost.
Financial impact estimates vary, but damage has been costed at multi-billions of euros with some evaluations exceeding €4 billion, or more. The government has launched aid packages for rebuilding, though challenges like rising material costs, partly from global factors including now two major conflicts, are complicating recovery, and will no doubt continue to do so.
As our old friends, and previously showcased, Communities Unite, on the Silver Coast, put it: “No one can fail to have been shocked by the images of the devastation that were left by a series of storms this winter. Weeks on, and as the rains ease, there are still families without a roof over their head, farmers without livestock, businesses without premises, and plenty still needing help.”
When I first wrote about these fun-loving fundraisers, their aim was, as their name suggests, to bring communities together through the universal power of music, and have local Portuguese and incoming foreigners sing and dance together in a bluesy and boozy vision of splendid integration.
Judging from the events I attended, this mission was well and truly accomplished and founders Richard Allen and Joe Mac can be very proud of the many sun-drenched, well-fed and musically delightful memories they inspired and facilitated in the hills above Óbidos.
Faced more recently with the reality of devastated communities further afield, the Communities Unite spirit has been resurrected and repurposed to bring aid to those who most need it, in association with Caldas da Rainha-based not-for-profit association Movimento Viver o Concelho (MVC), who have already been helping with front-line efforts.
When I heard that “musicians, volunteers, charities and businesses from across the Silver Coast area will all have a part to play, as internationally acclaimed group The Peakles take top billing at ‘Comunidades Unidas: TempestAID’”, I thought I’d better get Richard back on the Good Morning Portugal! Show and find out more.
“I was thinking about getting Communities Unite back on the road again and doing some good and then along came the devastation,” he told me. “We were in Porto when the storm hit. When we drove back down the following day, towards Leiria, it looked like a nuclear bomb had gone off.
“I couldn’t believe it.” he continued. “Trees not so much uprooted, but snapped off, a third of their way up their trunks, and then you saw the houses, just gone. They were literally gone. When you see it like that, first hand, and then hear the stories like the young woman who was lying in her bed and had her house taken away from around her while she was sleeping!
“To cut a long story short, the idea is to do a gig,” Richard explained, sharing that the action would be at the old Communities Unite stomping ground and spiritual home – Associação Recreativa e Cultural Amigos de Capeleira e Navalha (ARCACEN). “The majority of the musicians are playing for nothing and we also managed to get The Peakles at an incredible rate,” he added, chuffed that Portugal’s top Beatles tribute band will headline along with Two Shots, Jam Shack and his own band the Four Horsemen.
“It’s only a fiver to get in, all of the door money will be going towards the people that really need it, and we’re hoping to raise €5,000 on the day,” I found out from the Four Horsemen frontman. “This promises to not only be a sell-out event, but also an incredible day of music, community and generosity.”
In an official news release, concert co-ordinator Steve Poole explained: “Having seen the challenges faced by local organisations to get practical support mobilised in the worst affected towns and villages in the region, we saw an opportunity to help through one musical event that could make a real difference. The partnership between ARCACEN and MVC means that we have great facilities to hold an event to maximise raising funds that can be allocated quickly and transparently to where they continue to be needed the most.”
MVC President Teresa Serrenho added: “These storms were democratic. They didn’t care for the size of the house or someone’s ability to pay for repairs. They ripped through people’s lives, landscapes and businesses, leaving many of them un-equipped and unable to move forward. In recent weeks, we’ve been able to help people in practical ways for example, with construction contacts, materials and labour. These people are going to need our support for many months to come, and we are helping them to rebuild hope.”
The fundraising gig will take place on Sunday, March 22, at the Associação Recreativa e Cultural Amigos da Capeleira e Navalha, near Óbidos. Admission is €5 on the day. And between you and me, a little bird (one of three that sat on my window) tells me that a much bigger concert is on the cards at a large venue in Caldas, if this first response to one of Portugal’s most devastating weather events is successful.
You know what to do if you’re free on the 22nd!
See also – Communities Unite: an example for expats everywhere
Hear Richard Allen’s interview with Carl on Good Morning Portugal! Here – https://youtube.com/live/j1a6ZuEU37g
Read Carl Munson’s previous article: The “warmth of being known”
