The central region of the country was the most affected by storm Kristinwith operators activating their contingency plans and technical teams on the ground to restore services as quickly as possible.
Telecommunications operators’ infrastructures were damaged by Storm Kristin, including cuts in fiber optic lines that prevent telephone services to customers, both on the mobile and fixed networks, especially in the central region of mainland Portugal.
“Vodafone confirms the existence of damage to communication infrastructures on the mobile and fixed networks (namely multiple fiber cuts), a situation aggravated by prolonged power cuts in some areas of the country. These incidents have a greater incidence in the central area (coast and interior)”, an official company source told Agência Lusa.
The same source added that they were activated “immediately implement its operational continuity mechanisms” and there are “technical teams (…) working, on the ground, to recover services as quickly as possible”.
“MEO recorded service failures in several regions of the country, also associated with electricity supply cuts that directly affect the service”, an official source from this other telecommunications operator also confirmed to Lusa.
Like Vodafone, MEO “preventively activated its crisis action plan that foresees natural catastrophes of this nature, in order to try to mitigate the damage caused by this storm”with the source adding that the company is “in permanent contact with the authorities, municipalities and the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), ensuring continuous support and coordination in the management of incidents.”
Still according to MEO, “right now, priorities for service recovery are outlined and the field teams will act as quickly as possible under the circumstances.”
The passage of the Kristin depression through Portuguese territory caused two deaths and several displacements, with Civil Protection recording more than 2,600 incidents during the early hours and morning of this Wednesday.
Falling trees and structures were the main occurrences, which mainly affected the districts of Leiria (where the depression entered the mainland), Coimbra, Santarém and Lisbon.
Wind, rain, snow and sea disturbances have led to the cutting or conditioning of roads and transport services, especially railway lines, as well as the closing of schools and cuts of energy, water and communications.
Civil Protection is in a state of special readiness for level 4, the maximum, along the entire coastline between Viana do Castelo and Setúbal, and there are red meteorological warnings (most serious level) along the entire coast of the continent.
