Floods: everything ready for evacuations, 10 rivers worry, management more difficult with Spain

Maria da Graça Carvalho explained what happens in rivers and in dams. Mondego Flow is the most worrying situation.

What has already been given: there are coming (more) days of rain persistent, sometimes strong. There is a real risk of full, of floods, not only in the next few hours – the next dawn will be critical – but also over the next few days.

The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) has already raised the level of readiness throughout the country to maximum: “100% of the capacity of civil protection agents available”, revealed commander Mário Silvestre, at a press conference.

Maria da Graça Carvalho explained what happens in the rivers, in the dams in Portugal – and in Spain.

The Environment Minister began by saying, on the radio, that preparation for this scenario began three weeks ago.

As persistent rains started over the weekend and will last until the 10thnext Tuesday, according to the information received by the Government.

But the situation is controlled, assured: “We really need to do preventive discharges. And we did. We have a situation that could be said to be controlled in any way.”

A The most worrying area is the Mondego River. A “very large” discharge has already been made at the Aguieira dam, which is 10 meters loose.

“The Mondego River is segmented into dikes and, when there are floods, they are fast floods because the water overflows the dike. It is not like all other rivers that they are slow floods and therefore there is time to react”, he warned, repeating however that there is a risk of floods, yes, but controlled.

But Those who live near the lower areas can rest assuredassured the Minister of the Environment: “We are measuring all the time; when the critical point approaches, everything is ready for us to remove the population from low-lying areas and change people. Everything is ready.”

At high tide next morning, around 4:30 am, the panorama could get complicated from Coimbra westwards, to the mouth of the Mondego, in Figueira da Foz.

“Then we had a critical period on the weekendand Saturday and mainly Sunday”, reported.

The second most worrying case is that of Douro river, according to Maria da Graça Carvalho. Returning to the question of dams (on the Douro and on all Iberian rivers), Portugal has “perfect management” with Spain but, admits the minister, this articulation “it will be increasingly difficult because Spain “starts to be full”, unlike the first days of this phase of storms.

Preventive discharges calm the situation, but the Minister of the Environment is aware that there are 10 rivers to which more attention should be paid: Mondego, Douro, Cávado, Lima, Minho, Vouga, Águeda, Tagus, Sado and Guadiana.

Mondego is the leader in concerns, but all other flows could lead to the evacuation of local inhabitants from areas closest to the rivers.

Focusing on the Douro River, and at a time of abnormal rainfall volumes, the rivers are unable to dump river water into the sea during high tide.

If it is necessary to provide accommodation or food to those affected, “everything is well organized”, assures minister Maria da Graça Carvalho. “But I hope that’s not necessary.”

The Minister of the Environment ends with a appeal everyone: follow all instructions from the authorities, if necessary, and start removing goods or older people from homes.