With a degree of criticism now being aired by television commentators, the minister for interior administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral, finally faced media cameras and microphones early evening to stress warnings given by meteorologists earlier on over further bad weather coming Portugal’s way.
“The ordeal we have been through is not over,” she said. “Based on the information we have, everything suggests that from Sunday night onwards we will have very severe weather conditions, although it will not be a repeat of what happened before” (meaning Kristin and her 100+m/ hour winds.
The bad weather will stretch right through next week, and bring “heightened risks”, she said.
As to the widespread criticisms of her lack of visibility since Wednesday’s catastrophe, Ms Amaral conceded that she was “responsible for Civil Protection with great honour” but that “there is a lot of work to be done in this context in invisibility; in the office. We have to work on information, reflection, planning and coordination”.
The minister’s brief appearance this evening has not stopped the criticisms (nor the humorous video clips circulating over social networks showing people ‘looking for Maria Lúcia’ and wondering whether she has been blown to Morocco in Kristin’s high winds) but it did serve to establish that she is holding a meeting with Civil Protection on Sunday late afternoon, to prepare for whatever the ‘heavy rains’ forecast might bring.
““All of us, society and the State, are in a process of collective learning about the best way to respond (to extreme events),” she said – again a comment that didn’t go down well with the ‘talking heads’ on television shows, all suggesting the government has been slow on the uptake.
To be fair, Kristin is now being recognised as the worst storm ever to have hit Portugal, and reversing the damage would take any government a great deal of planning.
For today, the message essentially is to everyone: don’t drop your guard. The worst may be over but a lot of bad weather is still on the way – particularly aiming at the regions of the north and centre already hammered by Kristin.
Meteorologist Nuno Lopes has described 160 millimetres of rain throughout the week in the north – and less, but still a lot, in the south. It will be a week he classified as “very rainy”.
Tomorrow we hope to bring a list of initiatives and drop off points for supplies to help people worst affected. Already this website: https://tempestadesos.com/ has been created for people who want to help, and for people who need it.
Source material: Expresso
