Record-breaking rainfall leaves parts of Portugal in ‘catastrophic state’

Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) – As record-breaking rains on Tuesday left widespread damage in several parts of Portugal, most of the country remains on alert on Wednesday for continued heavy rains.

Portuguese meteorology institute IPMA confirmed that four weather stations in Lisbon, Barreiro, Almada, and Mora have seen the most intense 24 hours of rain since record-keeping began in 1931.

It came just a week after heavy rains caused severe flooding in Lisbon.

On Tuesday night, Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas described many areas of the Portuguese capital as being in “catastrophic states.”

“We’ve never experienced the same violent floods happening one week and then the next,” he told broadcaster TSF.

Lisbon was hit with widespread flooding, especially the Alcantara neighborhood, where 16 people were rescued from their homes and another six from a supermarket.

In the nearby area of Santa Clara, a landslide trapped 10 people inside a home.

In the city of Alges, waters flooded a metro station entrance up to the roof. In Loures, rivers became so full that they burst their banks, causing widespread flooding.

By Tuesday night, emergency services confirmed they responded to 2,777 incidents across the country, with more than half of the calls coming from Lisbon.

In total, 82 people were rescued and only one person suffered minor injuries.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa told parliament that authorities continue to study damage to determine whether the country should ask for EU assistance.

On Wednesday morning, nearly 10,000 workers were deployed to clean up the mess left behind from the rains, according to news agency Lusa. Some train services were also reestablished after land transportation was thrown into chaos on Tuesday.

While the rains on Wednesday are not expected to be as heavy as on Tuesday, the country remains under a yellow alert.

“We are dealing with a warmer climate that has more energy, and, therefore, these phenomena are occurring more often and having a giant impact on our society,” Ricardo Deus, climate change head at IPMA, told Portuguese daily Diario de Noticias.