After the passage of the Kristin depression, the consequences and forecasts of bad weather continue to be felt. In this regard, the Portuguese government has decided to extend the state of calamity to nine more municipalities, bringing the total number of municipalities covered by this measure, which remains in force until February 8, to 69.
The announcement was made to the country on Sunday, February 1, the same day that the government announced a package of measures to support citizens, businesses, and public institutions in the most affected areas. On the same day, Civil Protection activated the Emergency Plan for the entire national territory following Kristin and the forecasts for the coming days.
State of calamity
Photo: @glenncarstenspeters / unsplash / generic image
The districts of Coimbra, Leiria, and Santarém—the most affected by Storm Kristin—are experiencing truly dramatic days, a scenario that is mobilizing Portuguese civil society. In fact, there are several ways to help the victims of bad weather, but we will leave that for another article.
For now, we want to detail the new districts included in the state of emergency: Águeda, Aveiro, Albergaria-a-Velha, Alcácer do Sal, Estarreja, Ílhavo, Murtosa, Ovar, and Sever do Vouga.
Extraordinary support measures
At the end of the extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers, which took place on Sunday, February 1, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro announced a series of support measures aimed at mitigating the damage caused by Storm Kristin.
The approved package, worth a total of €2.5 billion, to be applied to housing, infrastructure, and culture includes moratoriums, credit lines, and exemptions. Among these measures, the following stand out, for example:
- Support for the reconstruction of housing, agriculture, and forestry up to €10,000, with no documentation required in the absence of applicable insurance
- Urgent intervention measures for roofs and roofing
- Acceleration of insurance assessments
- Creation of a task force for recovery
- Direct social support for families in need or who have lost income, up to €537 per person or €1,075 per household
- Exemption from licensing for reconstruction works
- Exemption from contributions and simplified layoffs
- Tax obligations between January 28 and March 31 postponed until April
- 90-day moratoriums on business loans and permanent home loans, with the possibility of extension for another year after that period
- €1 billion in credit for business recovery
- €500 million in credit for cash flow
- €400 million for road and rail infrastructure
- €20 million for affected cultural heritage
- €200 million for local authorities, among others.
Rail traffic with cancellations
Photo by @denys-argyriou
Normal rail traffic remains suspended on the Coimbra Urban Line, the Douro Line (between Régua and Pocinho), the Northern Line (suspension of long-distance services between Braga and Lisbon), and the Western Line, with no resumption date in sight. Given this exceptional situation, we recommend regularly checking the official CP – Comboios de Portugal website for updates .
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