Civil defence chief warns of more flooding in urban areas to Tuesday

  • Lusa
  • 19 December 2022

In a briefing to the media on Sunday, the Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection warned of the possibility not only "of floods in rivers, but above all of what are the floods in urban areas."

Portugal’s National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection has called for people to take action to protect themselves against the risk of flooding in urban areas throughout Monday and into the early hours of Tuesday.

In a briefing to the media on Sunday evening, the national commander, André Fernandes, warned of the possibility not only “of floods in rivers, but above all of what are the floods in urban areas.”

He issued the warning amid forecasts of further heavy rainfall in several regions.

“Here a special warning for what are the urban areas of the northern region, the central region, and Lisbon and Setúbal,” he said.

Millions of euros in losses have already been suffered by residents and traders above all in the Greater Lisbon region, but also in parts of the Alentejo, following flooding in the past two weeks.