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Flood clean-up video ; Euro interest rate held ; Whale watching ; SS Funchal liner

March 07, 2010 By: Der Category: Madeira & General News, Reader Chat & Questions

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Roslyn … "The sun is rising again over Madeira – Sunrise over Funchal from the Casino Park Hotel September 2009".

madeira news blog 1002 roslyn The sun is rising again over Madeira Sunrise over Funchal from the Casino Park Hotel September 2009

Many thanks to Elaine (East) for these two web snippets :

Watching whales in Madeira. Madeira is a great place to visit! It has long been a popular destination among those seeking respite from the northern European winter, but while its gentle climate has long been celebrated, it is less widely known for its rich marine-life HERE

Anyone heard of the Madeira Liberation Army?  Police blitzed by odd Maddie claims.  ….The wacky reports include: An email from the Madeira Liberation Army who claimed to be holding Madeleine and had a video showing her in good health, but couldn’t vouch for her safety unless the city of Funchal was granted independence. UK DAILY STAR

More on that story HERE … many thanks to Don

Many thanks to Pete, why said this fine ship used to do the Lisbon-Azores-Madeira service … "SS Funchal is one of a few Classic Liners still operating today as a cruise ship. This delightful 10,000–ton Portuguese cruise ship has become a favourite for many around the world as passengers return again and again to cruise on her. Although 46 year old, she has received a number of refits and has been meticulously maintained". FULL STORY

Pete also found this link … a biography of one of my personal local heroes ALBERTO JOÃO JARDIM

And many thanks to Becky for this update video … 10 days after the floods in Funchal.

And you thought, or maybe even hoped, that I had forgotten this weekends football? Today at 4 pm Marítimo host Académica, and tomorrow Nacional visit V. Guimarães … SportTV1 8.15 pm. I believe it is free entrance for the Marítimo game today for both lots of supporters, but I can’t guarantee that.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has kept the eurozone interest rate at its record low of 1% for the 10th month in a row, as expected. The ECB also signalled it would scale back the special lending measures introduced during the financial crisis. ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet said that economic recovery in the euro area was "on track but will remain uneven". (Source : BBC).

Many thanks to Elaine once again for yesterday’s top news stories :

DIÁRIO 06/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Tragedy caused a loss of 1.6 million Euros in tourism revenue. Madeira had 15,000 fewer tourists the week after the disaster of February 20th. This is the conclusion drawn from the movements through the port and airport and data provided by the main hotels on the island. Six cruise ships cancelled with a loss of 13,000 visiting passengers. 20% of these ships were going to stay overnight. At least 2,000 hotel guests cancelled or returned early. There were 6,000 fewer plane passengers arriving of which 70% would have been tourists or 27,000 overnight stays. The average stay is 5.4 nights and the largest losses were international flights (- 49.8%). The impact on tourism was a loss of 1.1 million Euros from hotels and half a million Euros from cruise ships. This is based on an estimated 40 Euros spent per day by each cruise ship passenger, and the official statistics from last year in relation to the revenue from hotel guests (249.28) or the cost of overnight stays (41.90). The average bed occupancy rate for February was 40%, a 6.7% drop from last year and from the 57.1% achieved in February 2008. Hotel receptionists said that many tourists returned early after seeing distressing images in the newspaper reports. They gave donations and the majority said they would still like to return to Madeira. The decrease in hotel reservations for March is worst for the five-star hotels (31% bed occupancy rate compared to 37.2% last year) and three-star hotels (64.5% as opposed to 72.6%). The average occupancy for March is predicted at 52% which has been decreasing gradually from 53.1% last year, 64.45% in 2008 and 60.7% in 2007.

MADEIRA

It rained seven times more than normal. In February, there were 458.7 millimetres of precipitation in Funchal, which is almost seven times the average for this month. This corresponds to the highest figure in February since records began in 1865. The amount of rain that fell on February 20th, 144.3 mm, is the highest since 1920. In one hour, more than 50 mm fell. 2nd February was the second wettest day this February, with a recorded 129 mm. On the Continent, February was the wettest for 24 years and there was above average rainfall in the Azores. Wind speed registered gusts of 57 km/h on the 4th February in Funchal and 108 km/h at the weather station at Areeiro. Alberto Jardim calls for an end to alarmist news about bad weather. "The worst thing that can happen to society is living under alarmism. We need serenity, very calm and gradually diminish the psychological effects that the tragedy has caused."

Progress after the storm. In the county of Ribeira Brava, there are two people still missing and 211 people remain homeless. 90% of the roads are cleared of debris and the demolition of the century-old bridge has begun. The bridge was partially damaged by the flood and it will be replaced by a suspension bridge which, unlike the old one, does not depend on two supports in the stream. There are no more isolated areas in the county now the new military bridge connects Fajã da Ribeira to the rest of the island. The population in Curral das Freiras are returning to normal life but still become alarmed at the instability of some slopes with landslides occurring. They feel trapped in the isolated area and one person is still missing. There are 34 families homeless in Câmara de Lobos municipality. Roads in Jardim de Serra have all been cleaned and repaired. Santa Cruz Council rehoused only 6 of 83 families last week. They do not know when the remaining 77 families will be permanently settled as they want to return to the areas they used to live in. 48 homes suffered significant damage and repair work should begin next week on some of them, but another 19 homes cannot be recovered (one shown in photo). There are a total of 237 homeless in the county and 184 of these are staying with relatives or neighbours. The machines are still slowly working along the ribeira da Luso-Brasileira, next to the Estrada do Livramento, to remove the large amounts of sludge and debris. They have to work slowly as there are still people missing in the area. 

POLITICS

Ismael Fernandes leaves the MPT. Ismael Fernandes held a senior position in the Earth Party and gave the motive for his resignation as dishonest financial management by the party leader Isidoro Gonçalves. He will not give details of the amount of debt but said, "I am not responsible for any debt the party has undertaken while I was part of the directorate." "I also resign for the reckless and dishonest way that João Isidoro manages the finances of the party."  Isidoro wants Ismael to clarify any complaints about his financial management or be guilty of defamation. Ismael thinks the future of the party is very black (dark/gloomy) under Isidoro’s leadership and he has not received any reactions from other members of the administration. Isidoro denies any illegality in the accounts, noting that they are available to party members and the Constitutional Court. The party has a debt of 100,000 Euros, of which 40,000 Euros are from the MPT’s festa and will be paid by the end of the mandate. He said Ismael resigned the day after the party approved cuts in remunerations and the management model has not changed over the past two years. Both Ismael Fernandes and João Isidoro were members of the Socialist Party, then left and set up the independent MPT (Movimento Partido da Terra).

Today’s news headlines from the front page of the Diário de Notícias :

Today’s main news headline : Equipment [infrastructure] situated in risk zones – Of concern, schools, fire stations, pavilions, and commercial centres. Locations : river banks, unstable cliff faces, close to the sea. Taking into account the work of reconstruction. MAP OF ‘AT RISK’ CONSTRUCTIONS HERE This is a Diário assessment of over 30 strategic structures on Madeira and Porto Santo island that they consider at risk from nature and natural events.

European support in the hands of [prime minister] Sócrates – Commissioner Johannes Hahn was moved by the evidence left by the water torrents and considers the situation inside the parameters that permit European support. But almost everything depends on Lisbon. What Hahn said was that he only takes responsibility for the support coming from the European Solidarity Fund, and the rest is down to central government renegotiating the support ‘package’ destined for Portugal. That needs Prime Minister José Sócrates to take on board a different strategy. It’s a tricky issue, because it will mean that the government may need to agree to divert money originally intended for structural and cohesion funding, but there are also other possibilities, said Hahn, indicating the the EU would be a flexible as possible given the right approach from the Portuguese Government.

Thieves steal articles intended for those made homeless – The warehouse of the charity Caritas in Nazaré was raided.

Number of dead from the big storm rises to 43.

Business remains closed in some parts of the city of Funchal – Recovery works prolonged in the rua da  Alfândega and Tanoeiros.

Fado solidarity concert sold out. That’s the the big photo on the left, taken at the fund raising event last night at the Casino.

The main sports headline today : Bernardo Sousa wins Torrié Rally – The Madeiran makes a great start in the Rally Championship of Portugal 2010. Vítor Sá was obliged to pull out. It was Bernardo’s first title at national level, as he and co-driver Nuno Rodrigues da Silva drove their Ford Fiesta S2000 to victory. At one stage they lost control of the car and could have been killed, and that cost them over 50 seconds off their advantage, making the achievement even more remarkable. They won by a 6.6 second margin in the end. Next stop for Bernardo is in April, in Jordan.

A right old mixture of extremes of good and bad news on today’s front page. Two showing support for Madeira from the population, and from Europe, and then those thieving gits in Nazaré spoiling the show. How low can people get! The article about infrastructures in danger may be technically factual, but most certainly over the top, and will do nothing to help the tourism or economic situation here. Wherever one builds a property in this world there are some some risks, and building by a mountain that has existed from long before mankind indicates that it is likely to still be there in a good many years from now. And yes rocks will fall, rivers will flood, and the power of the sea will take its toll now and again, but what are we supposed to do, go back to living in caves? I, like many others who have homes here, looked up at a towering rockface when contemplating my new home, and thought about the possibility of a serious rock fall, but that was a risk far too small to deter me. 

If anyone else can oblige with the translation of any of the ‘blank’ or sparsely filled headlines, or other news stories, here is the link. All contributions much appreciated. 

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If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and photos / videos.

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Please use the comments here for general chit-chat, or feel free to ask any questions … someone usually has an answer.

(more…)

Teaming up with the French and Spanish ; Santa Cruz update ; Shopping by army truck

March 05, 2010 By: Der Category: Madeira & General News, Reader Chat & Questions

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Rita … "Lovely place for a honeymoon, taken from the plateau".

madeira news blog 1002 rita Lovely place for a honeymoon, taken from the plateau

(I vaguely remember those days … sunshine and wispy clouds. Der)

Many thanks to Elaine (West) for this from yesterday’s Jornal da Madeira :

Emigrants from England help Victor. Five Madeiran emigrants who live in Walsall, England, returned to Madeira to see what is happening in their homeland after the storm and also to give aid to Vítor, the boy from Serra d’Agua who told the Jornal da Madeira that in the flood he had lost money which he had saved to help his father. When they saw the story written in the Jornal da Madeira by Judith Sousa of RTP International, and Victor’s photo, the brothers Vieira and Silva called on the Church of St. Jude’s in Chamberlin Hill to help Madeira, and in particular the nine-year old boy.

The appeal touched many people, resulting in donations totalling 130 Euros to give to Vítor, in compensation for the amount that he had lost. The rest of the money collected from the population of Walsall was delivered by the emigrants to a Madeiran association concerned with the recovery of the island and assistance to evacuees.

The brothers João and Diogo Vieira, João Xavier, José Antonio and Duarte Silva leave today for England, after a week visiting their families in Boa Nova and, insofar as they could, helping Madeira.

And thanks also to Paul for this :

Braemar Cruise Liner will head south for the sub-tropical delights of Madeira from October 2010.

Fred Olsen’s European Cruises for 2010 include Funchal. Every cruise offers the friendly and attentive service typical of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines.

‘The Canaries Collection’ will start from the 5th October 2010. The ship will leave from Dover, then go to Funchal (Madeira), Santa Cruz (La Palma), Santa Cruz (Tenerife), Las Palmas (Gran Canaria), Arrecife (Lanzarote), Lisbon (Portugal), Dover. SOURCE

Jon & Deb dropped me a line yesterday, and I am sure they won’t mind me reproducing it here and filling up some empty blog space with an interesting report :

All well at this end although it’s going to take "forever" to get our roads / bridges and walls back "up". Massive devastation in the forests / hills above us – mostly washed down (and away) our way, taking the "easy" route either side of our house (some down our road) but mainly down the valley and ending up across the rapida. Has undermined the foundations of the greenhouses below us – ribeira went underground! The promenade bridge in Santa Cruz (adjacent to the Hotel Vila Gale) is damaged badly and was nearly washed away and the promenade is closed – currently being "worked on" – noisy for Hotel guests (but not according to the tourist board)! The President of Santa Cruz has been strangely quiet … but we do have diggers and lorries clearing up locally. Our nearest access roads are now passable with care – two are severely undermined for half their width and with no walls, just some fluttering plastic tape if you are lucky! The main road leading into Santa Cruz has had half it’s tarmac stripped bare and is effectively down to one (zig zag) lane with many arterial roads still partially blocked by landslides, some "ongoing". Water supply fully restored but with many vulnerable bare surface pipes and holes in roads at water "distribution" points, it is in danger of failing again – not to mention the "leaning electric poles of Gaula" that are in danger of falling over unless fixed! The infrastructure is not good BUT people are going about their daily business as well as they can and working hard and looking forwards – the spirit of the Madeira people is amazing, friendly, helpful and determined.

Cloudy, windy and showers here today but … the sun has just broken through!

Glad that you are safe, sound etc – thoughts go to your local peoples and their personal tragedy.

Jon and Deb p.s. Good news – From Sheila, Sally the dog has been adopted!

This came in from Pete, and I have not had time to look at it yet, but I am sure if must be good!

"This could be interesting how UK  troops got involved with Funchal in 1931".  TIME MAGAZINE     MADEIRA HISTORY :  Please read 20th century  1931 … as well … Pete

Many thanks to Elaine once again for some odds and ends and yesterday’s top news stories :

Apparently, the tourist attractions are a near-death experience in Fungchal, Madeira.  …Yesterday we started out by walking along the shorefront in Fungchal, Madeira and it is a beautiful spot.  We only had a couple of hours before we had to be back on the boat to catch an excursion so we stayed close by but the water is gorgeous as is the town, even with the mud that lined the streets.  Apparently there had been a lot of rain and flooding and they were at the end of cleaning it up.  There were beautiful gardens and we got some great pictures … MORE

The plane spotters have PHOTOS of the Portuguese Air Force planes bringing in equipment.

DIÁRIO 04/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Almost a thousand people apply for psychological support.  In the early days after the storm of 20th February, the Department of Mental Health assisted over five hundred people of all ages. In the temporary morgue near the airport and at the Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça, the department supported more than 300 people. In recent days, after the first three or four days, it has settled back to the normal demand on the services. Some people will need constant monitoring. There is a healthy expression of grief but some people might show signs of post traumatic stress disorder later on.

Urban arrangement in place of the landfill. The provisional ‘pebble beach’ at the Avenida do Mar may be the basis of an urban intervention that benefits Funchal. This mound of earth and stones was removed from the streams over the past two weeks. They can either be removed and used in the reconstruction work or can remain there and be the basis of an urban arrangement. The authorities have not yet made a decision. According to the Jornal da Madeira, on this makeshift platform at the sea front, there has been deposited over 100,000 cubic metres of stone. This is equivalent to 5,500 lorry trips.

Urban slopes require engineering solutions. There were four deaths and three people went missing from the Rua Prof. Eleutério de Aguiar in the area of Laranjal, on the 20th February. There is still a threat of landslides in this area so Funchal Council has sent teams from specialist companies to identify possible engineering solutions. Until their surveys are completed, people in this area are warned not to return home. Some houses in high-risk areas might have to be abandoned. The residents return during the day to clean their houses but do not feel secure enough to sleep there.

MADEIRA

Taken to the supermarket by army truck. 500 residents have been isolated for the past 15 days in Lombo do Moleiro in Serra, as the road has not been usable. The army has laid on transport to allow residents to collect essential supplies, for example food and medicines. The link between São Vicente and Ribeira Brava was open for civilian vehicles only between 1 and 2 pm before being reopened yesterday afternoon. There is provisional access between Meia-Légua and Serra de Água. Care needs to be taken, especially in the Túnel da Encumeada.

Storm took 196 to hospital. Between Saturday 20th February and 9 am Sunday 21st February, 120 people were assisted by the Emergency Service of the Hospital ‘Nélio Mendonça’. In the following few days, another 76 attended. It is unknown how many victims of the storm were assisted in the rural Health Centres. Seven patients required Orthopaedic Surgery beds and all possible beds were made vacant. The main injuries were fractured legs and arms, light wounds, multiple trauma and hypothermia.

Four families isolated for 12 days. 11 people in the Ribeira do Serrado were isolated in the interior of the ribeira de Santa Cruz for 12 days. The bridge that links them to Serrado was destroyed in the storm. The bridge has now been rebuilt but priority was given to Construtora do Tâmega for their machines to clean the roads. The six landslides in this area did not endanger any homes but affected the roads. The residents complain that a landslide from an illegal dump probably destroyed the bridge but the council have no knowledge of this dump.

Three hours to exit the North. Interruptions in the Encumeada / Via Expresso has had serious implications on the North coast. Users of the popular túnel da Encumeada have had long detours to get to work. Commercial establishments, especially restaurants, have complained about a lack of tourists and residents from Funchal visiting Porto Moniz and São Vicente. This should improve now the link from Ribeira Brava to São Vicente opened yesterday.

From  the Jornal da Madeira.  In Serra de Água, President Jardim visiting the reopened road between Meia Légua and Serra de Água and chose to speak to journalists in the bar called “Poncha de Cima”.

ECONOMY

Luxury returns. With the end of the summer season in the Caribbean, mega-yachts are returning to Continental Europe. This is why during the next two months, the region will benefit from the necessary refuelling stops they need to make during the transatlantic voyages. The Elandess arrives at Funchal at 2.30 today and stays until the end of tomorrow. The Elandess comes from St. Martin and is going to the Mediterranean for the spring / summer season. This private yacht was built last year in Germany. It is 60 m long, 10.7 m wide and has a 3.50 m draft. Top speed is 16 knots, cruising speed 14 knots and a range of about 4,000 nautical miles. The yacht can hold 112,000 litres of fuel, 28,000 litres of portable water and accommodate 12 passengers in a master suit and 4 double cabins, serviced by a crew of 14.

POLITICS

Madeira will share the resolution with France and Spain. The Portuguese MEPs have formed a resolution calling for a series of actions by the European Commission to urgently aid the Region after the February 20th disaster. However, France and Spain were also severely affected by storms. The French and Spanish MEPs want the resolution to include their countries. This was agreed by the two major European parties, the PPE (includes the PSD and CDS) and PSE. The Liberais party wanted France included but not Spain. The PCP, part of the European United Left, wanted a resolution only for Madeira but yesterday morning, all leaders voted for the proposal of the two parties. Nuno Teixeira (PSD MEP for Madeira) thinks the inclusion of France and Spain will make the resolution stronger as it will attract more support, and will not affect the funds for any of the countries. This resolution is likely to be approved by all MEPs, urging the European Commission to adopt a set of initiatives that may prove very important for the region. The European Parliament wants the Commission to allow more flexible access to programs. The amount of funds does not change nor rules for access. Only the percentage of funding changes, for example a project might have funding for 80 – 90% rather than 70% of the cost. This means less money in other areas.

Governments agreed on measures to safeguard 3,000 – 5,000 jobs. Five measures announced after a joint meeting between the Government of the Republic and the Regional Government to safeguard jobs of companies whose business was affected or suspended because of the storm of February 20th. This is to prevent permanent closure of these firms. Neither governments have decided who will pay the loan of 185 million Euros from the European Investment Bank for rebuilding public infrastructure. João Cunha e Silva, the vice-president of the Madeiran Executive, hopes the State will pay because the Region has exhausted its borrowing capacity. This has to be decided by the Joint Committee.

Continuity of Jardim is consensual in the PSD-M. The decision of Jardim to delay leaving the leadership of the PSD and the Regional Government is thought to have the unanimous approval of the PSD, according to the Regional Secretary for the Environment and Natural Resources, Manuel Correia. He said that Jardim is the best person to lead the special task of rebuilding Madeira. The BE leader believes the decision was already made long ago and the disaster is just a reason to confirm this decision. Alberto Jardim became President of the Regional Government in 1978 and 1984 was supposed to be the limit of his leadership. This date was quickly forgotten and the next discussion about his stay was in 1996 when the limit was set at 2000. Arguments have been made for his continuity of power and the new goal was set at 2011. He is now considering staying for a few more years.

CULTURE

Madeira evoked in Paris. A tribute to Madeira marked the fashion show by Fátima Lopes in Paris. This Madeiran designer showed a strong patriotism for her native homeland and was determined to enhance the natural beauty of Madeira. She wanted to present a positive optimistic image of Madeira to the world press, after the devastation of the island. Incidentally, this Autumn / Winter 2010 / 2011 collection has for its theme, the dire consequences of global warming. Among the many accessories, including boots and shoes with 14 cm heels and very tiny bags, was the carapuça – a small hat worn by Madeiran folklore women.

Today’s news headlines from the front page of the Diário de Notícias :

European commissioner from Hélio comes in order to see damage – The Austrian Hahn comes at the weekend to assess the damage, talk with those who have lost their homes, and visit the hard-hit West. He will see some of the worst hit areas by helicopter.

Today’s main news headline : Public health in the hands of the citizens – Up until now, there is no evidence of problems, but the health authorities recommend attention because the risk exists. The Diário puts forward suggestions for prevention for each case. The headlined suggestions put forward include boiling tap water, even for cleaning ones teeth, and tetanus vaccinations. Wellington boots, gloves and face masks to be used in clean-up operations. Any sign of anxiety, sleeplessness, nightmares, lack of appetite, seek psychological help. Funchal Council is doing everything possible to re-establish the sewerage systems, but the Institute of Health Administration and Social Affairs (IASAÚDE) is warning people to take precautions, even though there is not yet any evidence of outbreaks of disease. Those in affected areas should even take precautions with tap water, which may have become contaminated. The sewerage systems in some areas of Funchal disappeared during the floods on 20th February 2010.

Intense rain yesterday cut  the day short – The fleeing in numbers from Funchal at the same time clogged traffic. News of the forecast of heavy rain yesterday afternoon / evening panicked thousands in Funchal into leaving earlier than normal, and as a result traffic and even pedestrian movements were limited in downtown Funchal. Many left work early and headed off to schools, to collect children. The rivers of João Gomes, Santa Luzia and São João were very high with muddy water, and one could hear the sounds of rocks moving in the river beds. However, at the time of going to print last night the Diário assessed that there had been no cause for alarm. The road between Meia Légua and Serra de Água, badly damaged last month, was closed again yesterday as a precaution. Since the exceptional rain on the 20th February, I have noticed that any weather forecasts for heavy rain have been clarified with the words "but not with the intensity of 20th February", to avoid panicking people, and that was the case yesterday … and it clearly didn’t convince an understandably jumpy population.  

Reconstruction exempts budget rectification – Funds from Lisbon and the European Union make sense.

In politics : Ismael resigns in the MPT [Earth party] – Ex-deputy on a collision course with Isidoro.

Jardim challenges all of the candidates to stand down in favour of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. "It would be the icing on the cake", said the leader of the Social democrats of Madeira. This refers to the election of a new national leader for the PSD.

The main sports / football headline today : Madeirans attack ‘National’ of the rallies – Bernardo Sousa and Vítor Sá make their debuts today in the Rally Torrié. The first test on the Portugal rally championship starts today, with a ’superspecial’.

Some pretty tricky translations on today’s front page, so don’t take anything too literally.

If anyone else can oblige with the translation of any of the ‘blank’ or sparsely filled headlines, or other news stories, here is the link. All contributions much appreciated. 

Many thanks to Paul for a further episode about the mysterious ‘nail’ :

Crucifixion nail: a hoax? ARTICLE LINK

“A man buys an old building, pronounces it a nation, secedes from his country, proclaims himself Prince, conducts archaeological digs and claims to have found three Templar skeletons and a nail that may have been a venerated relic of a crucifixion. And if it was a crucifixion nail it was one of thousands available. Sounds a little sketchy.

The timeline is problematic for proving Templars were ever on Madeira. History tells us that the islands of Madeira and nearby Porto Santo were "discovered" by João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira, two captains in the service of Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal, when they took refuge from a storm on Poto Santo around 1418.

But this date is about 100 years after the Templars were largely wiped out by King Philip IV of France and Pope Clement V – 1307-1315.

So if the island was discovered 100 years after the Templars disbanded then the skeletons can’t be Templars, right?

Probably. But strangely, if you were going to look for Templar relics, Madeira might be the place to do it.

There is evidence for Templar survival In Portugal. Portugal’s King Denis defied the Pope’s order to disband the Templars and simply changed the name of his knights to The Order of Christ and by 1323 had even reclaimed Templar property for the group. Denis also sheltered persecuted knights from France. By 1417, the order was run by a powerful Grand Master – you guessed it – Prince Henry the Navigator, the same man whose sailors discovered the island.

If the skeletons are real – and I haven’t seen any proof of that – it is possible they were members of the Order of Christ buried with an old Templar sword.

But there might be Templar burials there – if the Templars knew about Madeira before its supposed discovery and used it to hide out after their persecution.

The islands were known to the ancients. Pliny the Elder mentioned sailors travelling to islands that match the description of Madeira and Porto Santo in 75 AD and they appear on maps as early as 1339. This information could conceivably have been known to the the Templars.

A lonely island in the Atlantic is a pretty good place to hide. Even an imaginary one.

One of the videos from Portuguese television about the Prince and his very small country.

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If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and photos / videos.

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Please use the comments here for general chit-chat, or feel free to ask any questions … someone usually has an answer.

(more…)

Prince of the Pontinha ; Railway relics ; 2 months to wait for state aid ; Climate changes

March 04, 2010 By: Der Category: Madeira & General News, Reader Chat & Questions

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Tom … "One of the last remaining objects from the railway closed during  the II WW, I believe 1941. Train station with ticket kiosk on the right hand side.

madeira news blog 1002 tom last remaining objects from the railway closed during  the II WW I believe 1941 train station with ticket kiosk on the right hand side"Wanted dead or alive. The one in the back is a dictator that imposes all his incompetence and immorality in the Island of Madeira, a Portugal Region …" MORE Thanks to Elaine from the East for this link. She thought I might like it, but it’s certainly a bit odd! Quite how José Sócrates can be classed as a dictator when he leads a government without an overall majority I don’t know.

Thanks to Pete for sending in this link to Don’s blog : Principality of the Pontinha While I was aware of this slightly bizarre situation, I didn’t know the prince was actively seeking to enforce his rights. Can you imagine the consequences for Madeira, Portugal, and even Europe, if he is successful?

I got my CaboTV / Zon monthly bill through this week for internet, phone, and TV, and they had knocked about 20-25% off the normal amount through a number of credits. No mention in the 3 pages of why, but I guess it is for the amount of time the services were down after the storm and flood of 20th February. I was a little surprised, as one normally has to complain and fight a little to get such things put right, so the fact that it was done voluntarily I suppose is a good sign. Some, like me, will be aware more than others that one serious loss of services during that terrible week was with mobile phones. Whilst Vodafone and Optimus managed to keep their service going, the major operator here, TMN, and its subsidiaries, failed miserably. In my case I was without a signal for the first 36 hours or so of the panic and confusion, but fortunately I and my neighbours were all safe and away from the danger areas, but tens of thousands of others all over Madeira  had no way of making calls at a time in their lives when it couldn’t have been more needed. OK, it was an exceptional weather situation, but for TMN to lose grip and then take so long to recover the network, was just not acceptable, and I am still waiting for that text message from them saying "Dear Customer, sorry, but we really blew it this time". Fat chance of that. No doubt over the coming weeks there will be some stories about "if only my mobile phone was working at that time … something or somebody could have been saved". There was one story in downtown Tabua along those lines, when someone upstream managed to call downstream and warn some people in a building altogether, otherwise there could have been yet more tragedies. And maybe that was only possible because that local hero decided at some time in the past to go for a Vodafone  rather than a TMN operator … will we ever know?

Luckily even without TV, it was possible to get plenty of pretty accurate and up-to-date information from the radio, Antennae One in particular. Aside from the Saturday, the actual ‘deluge day’, they really did Madeira proud and helped an enormous amount with essential information. On the Saturday itself it was a little weird, as you would be hearing some horror story, and then they would go off an play a couple of records, and come back again a while later. I suppose the shock of the situation can numb the brain a little, but they got control of the matter fairly soon.

Tobi, bless him, realised that I (as well as many others of course) had no TV for several days during and after the flooding, and we had no visual idea of the actual scale of the problems around Madeira. When the TV was restored, the news had moved to the aftermath and the clean up. Many thanks Tobi for this link to an extensive filmed news report with some staggering scenes … including the now famous Ribeira Brava duck! RTP NEWS 20 FEBRUARY 2010 

EU’s new foreign policy chief, Lady Ashton appoints Portuguese diplomat Joao Vale de Almeida as EU ambassador to Washington.

The new EU ambassador to Washington                           Lady Ashton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The move was criticised by France and Sweden, irked that the right-hand-man of European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso – himself Portuguese – had got the much-coveted job.”

“Lady Ashton admitted that "two or three member states" would like to have been more involved.”

‘The FT’ comments: Mr Vale de Almeida lacks the international profile of Mr Bruton, the former Irish prime minister. But he is said to have good US contacts as a result of his experience serving as Mr Barroso’s personal representative to the G8 and G20 summits.”

From November 2004 Mr Vale de Almeida, a 52-year-old Portuguese, born in Lisbon was the head of President of the EU Commission’s José Manuel Barroso’s cabinet. Also, he was President Barroso’s permanent personal representative (or "sherpa") to the G8 and to the G20. The sources of Paul’s article: BBC article website: HERE  FT article on the appointment: HERE                    Many thanks Paul. 

Many thanks to Elaine (East) for this extra web snippet :

Dear Agony Aunt, I am 13 … Living in Portugal, send me back to England!?

Many thanks to Elaine once again for yesterday’s top news stories :

DIÁRIO DE NOTÍCIAS : FRONT PAGE NEWS

Ribeira Brava sustained 90 million Euros of damage. The damage to municipal property in the county of Ribeira Brava amounts to 90 million Euros. This is an initial estimate of the devastation caused by the storm on the 20th February. This does not include damage to equipment and infrastructure under the direct responsibility of the Regional Government, for example regional roads, particularly the flooded express road in Serra de Água. Two parishes in Ribeira Brava, Serra de Água and Tabua, were badly affected by overflowing rivers, mudslides and landslides, resulting in damaged buildings and roads. In Serra de Água, the destruction ran throughout the length of the parish, from the Encumeada tunnel to the area called Meia Légua. In both locations, several settlements were isolated due to collapsed bridges and sections of roads. Their water supplies, sewerage and telecommunications networks were destroyed. There were also losses in the towns of Ribeira Brava and Campanário. The damage in Ribeira Brava was mainly due to flooding when the stream burst its banks and the most visible evidence is the collapsed bridge connecting Fajã da Ribeira and the partially collapsed old bridge near the church.

Instability persists. Madeira is loosing its ’shield’ against the depressions. Yesterday afternoon, the mountains and roadsides in Pico do Areeiro were white with snow. The onlookers who went to make the traditional snowman (photo) found the exit roads difficult to negotiate as the snow was mixed with rain and sleet. The Meteorological Observatory in Funchal predicts that the unstable weather will continue. This Winter, Madeira seems to have lost ‘the shield’ that protected against atmospheric depressions. Presently, the island is undergoing a cycle of two days: "It rains two days then improves," according to the Meteorologist Mafalda Morais. The depressions existed in previous years but went further north, Madeira had a ’shield’. This year, the bad weather has hit the south of the island. The surprising hail in Funchal yesterday was due to the recorded fall in temperature, caused by a depression north of Madeira.

Help to Madeira from Portugal will not arrive within two months. Jardim and Sócrates agreed on Monday a Special Law to define the special relationship between the State and the Region. This legislation will not come into force until two months time, at the earliest. In April, the Prime Minister will present the bill to Parliament. There are then a number of procedures that must be completed until the law can be published and comes in force. The only money Madeira can receive before April is the amount normally transferred from the State Budget and the Regional Law of Finances. The amount transferred from the State Budget is 204 million Euros, divided into twelfths, but a larger amount can be transferred initially then deducted later. However, the priority of both governments is to access the European Funds and international funds first, to minimize the impact of the reconstruction costs on the State Budget. The Joint Committee will have to meet and determine the cost of reconstruction, a co-responsibility to prevent the risk of accusations of inflated prices. This committee should have assessed the damage and drawn up a list of work needed by Easter. This weekend, the European Commissioner for Regional Policy will visit the island and Barroso comes on 12 – 14 April.

MADEIRA

"We want a tunnel." This is one of the points in the petition from the inhabitants of Paul do Mar and Jardim do Mar to the Regional Government. The 900 residents of these two villages in Calheta are not satisfied with the reply of Santos Costa that nothing has been decided on the issue. Local politicians are on the side of the people, the president of the Parish Council of Paul do Mar saying, "It’s now or never,"  with the arrival of new reconstruction money. A more secure road link has been wanted for years but a lack of funds has always been the reason cited, despite more cars and people travelling to these areas. The residents are worried about continuing landslides from the slopes above the main access road.

Traders complain about absence of tourists. The town of Ribeira Brava is now operating normally after recovering from the flood of 20th February. The majority of commercial establishments in the ‘downtown’ area reopened by the end of last week, minimum conditions of accessibility around the centre of the town have been established and most of the mud and debris surrounding the church has been removed. But local traders complain of a lack of tourists. Traditionally in the mornings, tourist buses brought excursions into the lower area of town. Last week, few tourists braved the sea front. The São Bento building, located next to the churchyard, was the worst affected by the mudslide in the ‘downtown’ area. One and a half metres of water damaged a furniture shop in the lower floor of this building. Despite 150,000 Euros of damage, the owner of ‘Móveis Estrelícia’ hopes to reopen next week. The Post Office was able to open again last Friday despite having been flooded. Many bars and restaurants were able to open last week, some remaining closed due to the absence of water. Stock has also been damaged, the bookstore / stationary shop in the Centro Comercial S. Bento lost 50,000 Euros in flooded items. So normality has returned within ten days apart from the missing morning sea front tourists.

Palheiro Estate opens an account for Madeira. Palheiro Estate has opened an account with BES bank to support victims of the storm. Account Name: "Palheiro Estate Pela Madeira", Account Number: 000836892624, NIB: 0007 0000 0083 6892 62423 or IBAN: PT50 0007 0000 0083 6892 6242 3. This Saturday, Palheiro Estate is organizing a fundraising golf tournament at Palheiro Golf, a lunch in the Restaurante Clubhouse do Palheiro Golfe, with a tombola and auction. Funds go to the Delegação da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa da Madeira, (Red Cross). All golfers in the region are invited to take part in the tournament.

POLITICS

Venezuela is still waiting to help Madeira. Hugo Chávez, the President of Venezuela, might find out this week if Madeira will accept his offer of help. This offer was approved by the Venezuelan Government and a formal letter delivered to the Ambassador of Portugal in Venezuela, asking if help is needed. This offer was publicly announced on February 23rd. The Socialist Party of Venezuela now expects the two governments (Madeira and Portugal) to say what help they require.

Today’s news headlines from the front page of the Diário de Notícias :

Today’s main news headline : Trauma of the tempest send a thousand to the psychologist.  The requests for support comes from residents of affected areas and the rescuers. The demand has stabilized but the Department of Mental Health admits to a new ‘peak’. Signs such as insomnia, nightmares, lack of appetite and anxiety justify care and consultations.

Bad weather returns and will worsen today and tomorrow. Rain and winds return. Although the severity doesn’t come close to what has been registered recently, Madeira is back on orange alert, and this evening between 6 and 9 pm heavy rain is expected. After Friday, an improvement in weather conditions is expected, which should last until at least next Tuesday, according to Funchal weatherman Vítor Prior.  In the meantime we will see 70 km/h winds with  gusts of up to 100 km/h in the high zones, and people are advised not to go to the mountains or exposed places on foot or by car.

IHM [Madeira Housing Institute] already has a solution for the [remaining] 350 homeless.

[Prime Minister] Sócrates takes the spirit of solidarity to Mozambique – After the help given to Madeira, the support to Maputo. The  Diário found there a missionary from Camacha.

Escórcio retakes parliamentary leadership – Vice [president] of the leadership of the Socialist Party of Madeira, the deputy now takes on also the load that he abandoned around a year ago.

The main picture today : Embankment could provide an urban arrangement – The Equipamento Social [government department for infrastructure] admits to extending the city with the deposits caused by the storm that are now being put on the rocky coastline.

Unstable slopes concern Laranjal, where the Council of Funchal ponders removing the houses in danger.

Companies affected by the storm exempted from the contribution payments to Social Security. This is one of 5 measures implemented by the Government of Portugal to safeguard jobs.

The main sports / football headlines today : Portugal wins, but it couldn’t save itself from the boos. A 2 – 0 victory over China.

Tiago Pires donates 4,600 Euros to help Madeira. The rest of this article and photo was kindly provided by Paul. Top Portuguese surfer donates prize money to Madeira. Tiago Pires (PRT), 29, current ASP World No. 24 and Portugal’s first-ever competitor at the elite level, has pledged to donate his prize money from the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast to help those in Madeira suffering from the tragedy. "I am donating my prize money to the Madeira island," Pires said. "There was a natural tragedy over there a few weeks ago, and it is still really bad. Madeira is an island off of Portugal and I go there a lot and I feel like it is part of me. I feel like it is part of my obligation to help. It is really far from me right now and I could not go there so this is the way I am helping. I am donating my prize money."

If anyone else can oblige with the translation of any of the ‘blank’ or sparsely filled headlines, or other news stories, here is the link. All contributions much appreciated. 

"Thought the video of Principality of Pontinha may interest you how it changed over the years" … Pete THE SMALLEST PRINCIPALITY IN THE WORLD – IN PICTURES thanks Pete, very interesting, and the guy at the end is ‘The Prince’ perhaps?

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If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and photos / videos.

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Please use the comments here for general chit-chat, or feel free to ask any questions … someone usually has an answer.

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Flood recovery progress update ; Mixed reaction in Jersey ; Funchal at night on video

March 02, 2010 By: Der Category: Madeira & General News, Reader Chat & Questions

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Tom … Family Blandy quinta high above Funchal surrounded by a very beautiful garden

madeira news blog 1002 tom Family Blandy quinta high above Funchal surrounded by a very beautiful garden

February blog visitors : I normally do a quick run down after the end of each month of the blog visitors, and February is normally a low viewing month, partly due to only having 28 days. But something happened a week or so ago that made it the highest month ever for visitor numbers, and on Sunday 21st it peaked at nearly 5,000 visits. Then for 7 consecutive days the number decreased, as the flood and tragedy stories came off the ‘front pages’ and the initial interest wore off, and also as the search engines gave priority to large media organisations on the search engine listings. For the month as a whole there were over 32 thousand visits from 124 countries.

My apologies for the delay in posting some items, it was a really busy ‘full up’ type of week, but I should catch up by Wednesday.

Many thanks to Elaine (East) for these web snippets :

Update from the Jersey press. Comments to this post are interesting.  HERE Indeed they are Becky, some quite hostile. For sure if there was a disaster in Jersey, it would be reported. I guess there would be some support from Madeira, but whether it would be the spending sort I don’t know, especially after what happened over East Timor. Der

On a happier note, from an American finance site. Just Launched The Magic of Madeira Lifestyle & property magazine.  …..According to the Portuguese National Tourist Office and the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in the UK, health and wellbeing tourism is on the rise across Europe and is predicted to increase by 5-10% by 2015. This is significant as at a major conference on the topic held at the beginning of November, Madeira has been highlighted for its potential in this increasing market … MORE 

Now for something different. Politics of the Crypt. Facing the Future with the Habsburg Dead …..What should be done, for example, with the monstrous copper coffin standing around uselessly at Vienna’s Central Cemetery? It was originally meant for Emperor Charles I, but he was buried in Madeira, where he was forced into exile. Since his beatification in 2004, the emperor’s resting place on the island has drawn more tourists than ever before. The autonomous Portuguese archipelago declines to transfer the tomb to the Imperial Crypt in Vienna … MORE

Many thanks to Becky for these videos :

A guided view around the city of Funchal at night, by a man with a very nice voice (para mim, a good enough reason to learn Portuguese right there!) and good to hear the familiar sound of some dogs barking.

Lovely compilation of footage and stills from Santa Cruz.

Government communication policy on the floods after the 28th February :

Piece adapted by Paul from this page to improve the translation: SOURCE … Many thanks Paul.

On the 28th February, after 8 days of reports the last official Report was published. The aim of the Reports was to inform everyone in Madeira and the National and International press.

From the 28th February, each Regional Secretary will report, individually on the progress of their department’s responsibilities after the floods

SOLIDARITY: Madeira has received from all over the world pledges of solidarity. The Regional Government is deeply grateful for them.

PROGRESS: the main concern and priority of the regional authorities is to support Madeira’s people and the replacement of all land communications safely, especially those to the most remote locations. The cleaning and restoration works have been taking place at an accelerated pace, with two of the three rivers that overflowed in Funchal already back running down their normal routes.

From the beginning, the Regional Civil Protection Services, local authorities, Fire Departments, Health Services, Social Services coordinated their tasks in order to get closer to the population and help meet their needs.

Funchal’s main Hospital received 120 wounded people. 70 were hospitalized. Now there are only 16 still receiving treatment.

Madeirans that were reallocated temporarily are being supported by the Regional Government and they will return to their homes when it is possible, or the Government will build new houses for them.

RETURNING TO NORMAL:

On the 1st of March, most accesses to Funchal were back open.

Schools will be open and operating normally.

TOURISM:

The hotel industry of Madeira was not affected by the floods and maintains all operating conditions safely. Hotel establishments are operational with all their facilities. Both Madeira’s International Airport and The Harbour of Funchal have been operational since the floods too.

Sorry to repeat this from yesterday’s blog comments, but I am hoping some international media company will pick up on this if it is actually posted on the blog itself.

I guess most blog readers now know the story about the family of 8 living in Pomar da Rocha, that was almost totally wiped out in a landslide here on 20th February.

The one survivor is a young man (some conflicting reports about his exact age, but around 19), who lost the other 7 members of his family, and is currently still in hospital, having had some digits amputated (again some conflicting reports on how many). He is due out of hospital this week, to face a stark reality of making a new start with no family, no home, and no possessions, and whether he will be able to continue to work as a result of his injuries I don’t know (he was juggling education whilst working at the petrol station by the via rápida in Ribeira Brava).

Feliz Abreu’s school in Ribeira Brava is trying to raise some money to get him started, and help him find a new home, and to buy him clothes, as he has absolutely nothing. There is another fund raising effort in Ribeira Brava where friends and locals are also putting what they can spare towards a fund to help Feliz.

I am posting this as a blog contributor, not in any other capacity, so this has nothing to do with the blog itself. But if anyone is able to help / contribute then the PayPal button on the right of this page can be used, and if you can mark in the comments box FELIZ, then I will ensure any money is passed on. I can also provide my bank account details [€ / £]. If PayPal is not an option for anyone. You can email me if you need that information. I will send acknowledgement of any donation, by email, on request.

I can’t even begin to imagine how Feliz will cope once back in reality. I can’t even imagine how someone can possibly ever return to a normal life after what he has been through. At least if he has a home and some money and personal possessions he will have a chance to try. Thanks for reading this.

Many thanks to Elaine once again for yesterday’s top news stories :

DIÁRIO 01/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Eight shops and restaurants of the marina will be demolished. The refurbishment of the marina will start immediately. It was due to start in 2011 but the decision by the Harbour Administrators (APRAM) has been brought forward. The safety of restaurants and shops and their users determined the urgency of the intervention. The water that infiltrated the original wall of the Avenida do Mar created sheets that ran through the walls and ceilings of these buildings. Postponed several times, the redevelopment of the marina should be in conjunction with the redevelopment of the Avenida do Mar and the remodelling of the dry area of the Marina of Funchal, including the transfer of fuel tanks. The total cost to APRAM will be 5 million Euros. About 100 employees of these enterprises will be made redundant. The loss of revenue when access to the marina is banned is estimated at 15,000 – 20,000 Euros per day. None of the businesses have insurance for operating losses. The Beer House has had enormous losses in the kitchen, office and stocks and looses a few thousand Euros each day it cannot open.

Fall in revenue can reach 20 million Euros. The devastating effects of the disaster. In addition to losses arising from damage to property, equipment and goods, which meant that more than 900 businesses had to close, the effects of loss of revenue will cause the unemployment of hundreds of Madeirans. Traders point out that lack of sales / revenue is responsible for 20% of the cost of the damage caused by the storm. If the business associations say that private businesses take a loss of 100 million Euros, commerce will loose 20 million Euros of revenue in the coming months. Some shops are about to reopen but others in different parts of the island will be affected for several months, with particular emphasis on the municipalities of Ribeira Brava and São Vicente, which might be taken off major tour itineraries. There are dozens of companies that will not reopen in the short term as they are not insured for the losses. The two supermarkets of Pingo Doce loose 60,000 – 70,000 Euros per day. The destruction to Pingo Doce shops in Anadia and Dolce Vita costs 20 million Euros with 4 million Euros lost in expected sales revenue. Two hundred people are employed in these two stores. The Government of the Republic has a 50 million Euros line of support with grants of 50% for small firms to replace their property and equipment, with a million Euros to help the unemployed.

MADEIRA

Group of London solidarity. The folklore group of the Portuguese Cultural and Sports Centre in London left yesterday for Oman in the Middle East to entertain a group of businessmen. The organization Dansakat will hold a gala dinner today for directors of a company and hope to have traditional music from all of the countries where the directors are based, including Portugal. The chairman of the Sports Centre told the newspaper reporter that they are trying to raise funds in Oman for Madeira, to help the victims of the tragedy. On 7th March, there will be a solidarity dinner to raise funds in London, at a cost of 15 pounds per person. The space for the dinner in Brixton is given free by Lambeth Council and food and drink will be donated by several Portuguese companies. The area can accommodate 400 – 600 so the organizers hope to attract hundreds of Portuguese immigrants.

Initial estimates. The local authorities are beginning to estimate the cost of Saturday’s storm. The Regional Government estimate 1.4 billion Euros. In Funchal, Miguel Albuquerque said the storm caused damage of more than 198 million Euros. Ribeira Brava, the mayor talks of about 90 million Euros of damage to roads and bridges, water supply, sanitation and housing. In Santana, the mayor estimates a loss of 3.5 million Euros and in Machico, 2.5 million Euros of damage. 25 million Euros in Santa Cruz but only 70,000 Euros in Porto Moniz. In Calheta, 4 million Euros of damage to municipal infrastructure alone and 3 million Euros worth in Ponta do Sol.

POLITICS

Jardim will rethink leaving the Regional Government in 2011. The disaster that befell the region might make Alberto Jardim reconsider his intention to relinquish power in 2011, but he would prefer a middle way. If things were running normally, he would leave in 2011 but what has befallen Madeira is very complicated. He admits a new solution: leave the government but continue to be politically active.

Left Bloc leader praises the prompt response of the Regional Government. The national leader of the Left Bloc visited Madeira, where in an unprecedented manner, he made in public his praise for the prompt response of the Regional Government to the effects of the storm of 20th February. He said this disaster should serve as a lesson to impose strict rules on urban planning to maintain the security of the inhabitants. In the process, the views of urban planners, environmentalists and scientific authorities who know the difficulties of the region need to be heard. "What happened on Saturday was a disaster of calamitous proportions, a deluge. The damages were unavoidable but they were exacerbated by urban issues."

CDS propose post-storm measures. The regional leader of the CDS-PP said it is a time for convergence rather than divergence and for unity instead of division. He said, "The main cause of the disaster, the torrential rains, are historically known."  In Madeira there was a "lack of rigorous  planning and land management, improper occupation of land, construction on the banks and beds of streams, lack of clearing of many streams throughout the region, dumping of debris on land and in water courses, insufficient reforestation of serras, lack of clearing of trees and woods destroyed by fires and lack of consolidation of many escarpments, these are causes that amplify the natural disaster." After learning from these mistakes, it is necessary to make decisions and courageous interventions in the field of spatial (territorial) planning.

UPDATE

"This is a superior people." Jardim was not surprised at the speed of cleaning, saying, "This is a superior people."  He was speaking at the end of Sunday Mass celebrated in memory of the victims of the storm of February 20th. At the end of Mass, the Mayor of Funchal highlighted the fibre of people accustomed to overcome many adversities. Also present, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said he was impressed with the progress of work and the solidarity of the country, which he has not seen since Timor, for eleven years. In celebration of the Eucharist, the Bishop of Funchal called the faithful to keep hope alive. He pointed to the recovery of the crucifix and statue of the Imaculada Conceição da Capela das Babosas, the chapel destroyed by the flood of February 20th, "as real signs of consolation and hope for our people."

Sócrates says this is not the time for recriminations and disputes. The Prime Minister argued on Sunday that the priority is to ensure a framework for cooperation and financial links with the Regional Government to allow the rapid reconstruction of Madeira, saying this is a moment of solutions instead of recriminations and disputes. José Sócrates said about the situation in Madeira, that currently the primary duty is the cooperation between the Government of the Republic and the Regional Government of Madeira. He declined to make any controversial comments on the Regional Finance Law, which was passed in Parliament by opposition parties, stating it is not connected to the State Budget – voting scheduled for mid-March -  and both executives will provide solutions to resolve all political issues that may hamper cooperation. It is urgent to rebuild the region for the rapid return of life and the economy back to normal. Asked if this is a positive signal to Alberto Jardim, he said, "Yes, of course." He said it is important for Madeirans to know there is national solidarity. The whole nation needs the recovery of Madeira’s economy and for it to contribute to the national economy.

Special Law for Madeira.  Early report from today’s meeting between the President of the Regional Government and the Prime Minister, José Sócrates. The Regional Government and the Government of the Republic agreed the creation of an Extraordinary Law that will be approved by the Assembly of the Republic, for the situation in Madeira. There will be three priorities for action: help the homeless, boost the economy and rebuild the affected infrastructure.

This story / link was sent in by both Paul and Tom … many thanks. Recovering Madeira Tries to Restart Tourism Industry. "The local government did a very good job of cleaning up," Mr. Becker said. "We’ll be back next year, for sure." “A week after torrential rains and mudslides killed 42 people and left 17 missing on Madeira, government officials are trying to restart the tourism business that is vital to the Atlantic island’s economy.

Tourism marketing after a natural disaster. It won’t be easy. Tourism marketing after a natural disaster is problematic because officials need to be careful not to appear insensitive toward the victims while also letting potential visitors know that it is safe to come.

Cleanup crews and local utilities have made rapid progress in removing mud and debris from the streets of Funchal, the capital, and restoring water, power and telecommunications services. Work continues in the worst-affected areas of Funchal, where some underground parking lots that had been flooded are still being drained. Other parts of the island that were hit harder, such as the town of Ribeira Brava, will require more extensive cleanup and reconstruction efforts.

Tourism represents 20% of the economy of this Portuguese autonomous region, located more than 600 miles west of the European mainland. It employs 7,000 people in the hotel sector alone, out of a total population of 245,000. Most of the tourists come from Britain, Germany and Portugal, according to official figures.

"People have seen so much on television about this disaster that it might discourage them from going," says Angelo Rossini, a research analyst for London-based Euromonitor. At the same time, he says, "respect for the dead can also be an issue. It might be a problem to get people to go for sun and vacation so soon after the tragedy."

Conceição Estudante, the regional government’s secretary-general for tourism and transport, said last week that the government had started reconstruction efforts. Local hotel operators, travel agents and tour operators are contacting tourists who had reservations, as well as potential new visitors.

The images of destruction have led to hundreds of cancellations at island hotels, said Ricardo Rodrigues, manager of the Funchal Design hotel, in the centre of the capital, and of another hotel in the hills behind the city.

"There should be a time of mourning, but everyone realizes that life has to go on," he said.

Tourists who were in Madeira during the storm have applauded the government’s response to the disaster.

Joachim Becker, a 60-year-old environmental-health and medicine worker from Essen, Germany, said he and his wife rode out the storm in a small villa outside the capital.”

“There was mud everywhere, including in the pool, but they say the storm won’t stop them from returning.”

"The local government did a very good job of cleaning up," Mr. Becker said. "We’ll be back next year, for sure."  FULL ARTICLE FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Also this one from Paul … 9,845 Euros (13,290 U.S. dollars) for Madeira! The Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Portugal raised at a night gala a total of 9,845 Euros (13,290 U.S. dollars) for Madeira : SOURCE 

Today’s news headlines from the front page of the Diário de Notícias :

Chaos clogs a restricted Funchal – The citizens weren’t very cooperative and the city was swamped in the morning and early afternoon. It was as expected apparently, with appeals from the authorities to use other means of transport for getting to ones destination being ignored by many.

Facilities provided for those who lost their car.

The hundred+ year old bridge in Ribeira Brava at risk of collapse. I have found a stunning video of the pounding of this bridge on 20th February, and will include it on tomorrows blog.

Culture with a schedule out of step with the reconstruction.

Today’s main news headline : Commitment assumed and it just remains to be fulfilled – Meeting of the new buddies [prime  minister] Sócrates and [president] Jardim went well. Joint committee will define support for homes, damage and businesses. A sight for sore eyes indeed. I can only hope that this forced ’solidarity’ between these two powerful men who run Portugal and Madeira will last long beyond the current crisis. Great photo, and the words spoken are most certainly along the lines of "vai primeiro senhor", … "não, não, vai você, se faz favour", but who spoke first I have no idea.

Exceptional law for Madeira – Agreement between Sócrates and Jardim. The President of the Regional Government met with the prime minister for more than two hours.

SRRH reinforces placement of unemployed in the market – Workers keep unemployment benefit increased by 25% from SMN, and food and transport subsidies.

Numbers of missing persons don’t add up – The official website of the regional government maintains that there are still seven people yet to be found. But an unofficial list maintains that there are 14 names of missing people that the families and the authorities are still trying to trace.

Continentals are the target of a campaign for holidays on Madeira – Tourism of Portugal  offers publicity for the Flower Festival.

The main sport / football headline today : The Nacional [v Belenenses] game was put back until this afternoon. Thick fog made the game scheduled in the Choupana last night impossible to play.

If anyone else can oblige with the translation of any of the ‘blank’ or sparsely filled headlines, or other news stories, here is the link. All contributions much appreciated. 

PLEASE NOTE : There is a blog software upgrade being done tomorrow morning, so it will be ‘out of service’ and inaccessible for a short while.

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If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and photos / videos.

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Please use the comments here for general chit-chat, or feel free to ask any questions … someone usually has an answer.

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Return of the first cruise ship ; British tourists tell of ordeal ; Why the floods happened

March 01, 2010 By: Der Category: Madeira & General News, Reader Chat & Questions

Today’s photo – Many thanks to … Pete : "Funchal first cruse liner waiting to dock since disaster.  Thought you may like it not docked yet". The AIDAluna of course, and a nice way to start the week in a positive way, with some signs of normality returning. Der

madeira news blog 1002 pete cruise ship

From Tobi by email : "I haven’t put this on the blog as i think Madeira has had enough bad news over the last week, But if you think people should know then I’m happy for you to post.

My best friend from Caniço went to Funchal for a drink around 10.30 pm Thursday night, as he travelled through São Martinho a large rock hit the underneath of his car, he stopped to have a look, he was approached by a man who held a knife to his throat and told him to get in the car and drive up the road, up the road 4 other men were waiting , they robbed him of money, jewellery and mobile phone. He was not hurt but of course very shaken, he drove straight back home to contact police.

I’m quite shocked about this, and i would guess the rock was left in the road or thrown underneath the car on purpose so these people can select who they rob, as he has a nice car. I guess he was lucky he is on a small island, ’cause if it had happened on mainland the car would have gone too. I remember back home Gipsy’s used to leave things in quiet roads, so people would have to stop to remove the obstruction and then they would rob them, I just hope this is not a new crime starting here. Thanks Tobi … and I think people should be aware, so you have been advised! Der

Many thanks to Elaine (East) for these web snippets :

A geological explanation of why the floods happened.   …The city centre sits on slightly sloped ground, while outer suburbs perch on the mountain slopes around the city. On February 19-20, 2010, when heavy rain poured down on the island, the high suburbs suffered mudslides and floods. As this map illustrates, the slopes around Funchal surround the city in a semicircle, so water flowing down the mountains was concentrated in the bowl where the city is located. The devastating floods killed at least 42 with 18 still missing as of February 23, according to the government of Madeira … MORE

The great Madeira cleanup. Secretary General of the UN World Tourism Organization Taleb Rifai comments on the hotel and Tourism industry after the recent natural events in Madeira… "The quick response action undertaken by the competent authorities at local and national levels, together with the support of the EU, have been instrumental in this catastrophe. The city centre sits on slightly sloped ground, while outer suburbs perch on the mountain slopes around the city. On February 19-20, 2010, when heavy rain poured down on the island, the high suburbs suffered mudslides and floods. As this map illustrates, the slopes around Funchal surround the city in a semicircle, so water flowing down the mountains was concentrated in the bowl where the city is located. The devastating floods killed at least 42 with 18 still missing as of February 23, according to the government of Madeira … MORE

A one minute Euronews video. The cleanup operation has begun on Madeira after the floods and landslides that ravaged the Portuguese island last week. VIDEO

Many thanks to Becky for these videos / web snippets :

When looking at the Costa Serena gliding into Funchal, you don’t imagine that it could leak.  Another reason I don’t go on cruises.

 
Only 9 seconds, but something good to watch when stuck anywhere other than Madeira. 

Many thanks to Paul for this useful information x 3 :

Roads back open on the 28th Feb (Funchal) :

· Campo da Barca Bridge.

· Rua do Carmo to Rua do Oudinot

· Jaime Moniz High School to Carmo Bridge

Bridge closed temporarily

·The bridge near Lavradores Market will be closed for cleaning

Source: Official Report from Regional Government of Madeira – 28/02/2010

It was a one off event, a catastrophe that isn’t likely to happen again, and one that the island will soon recover from says British victim

Roger and Gillian Wilson, British holidaymakers, have spoken for the first time of the ordeal they endured when the taxi in which they were travelling between hotels with another British couple was hit by a mudslide.

Firefighters work to pump water away outside a shopping center

He praised the emergency services on Madeira and hoped that tourists would not be put off coming to the island because of the recent tragedy.

"It is a wonderful place and the people of Madeira have been truly fantastic. It was a one off event, a catastrophe that isn’t likely to happen again, and one that the island will soon recover from," insisted Mr Wilson.

"Tourism is the life-blood of Madeira and I really hope people will be sensible enough to realise that it is still worth coming here – we will definitely be back for another holiday," he said. Source: Telegraph Newspaper

Paul do Mar collects for flood victims

Paul do Mar/West Coast

 

 

Paul do Mar’s inhabitants have been collecting food items for flood victims all week. The initiative has been led by a young soldier in the village and supported by the Paul do Mar Casa do Povo. The leaders are hoping to get an army truck here today on Sunday to transport it to Funchal for distribution. If an army truck is not available it will go to Funchal in private trucks soon.

 

Another email from Tobi : "I have a new set of photos on Flickr. The big clean up has been going on for a week now round the island , and I’m totally amazed at how fast it has happened. See the clean up pics here

Many thanks to Elaine once again for yesterday’s top news stories :

DIÁRIO 28/02/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Diário honours the victims and the heroes. A photographic record of those who died and those involved in the rescue. Today’s magazine also has a 26 page photographic record of the disaster. Both available on-line. THE VICTIMS      THE PHOTOS

Men and machines go to Serra de Água. By the end of today, the dredging of the streams in Funchal should be completed. The Regional Government has asked the construction companies to transfer their workforce and machinery to start an immediate large-scale intervention in Serra de Água. Only the mouth of the ribeira de São João still requires intervention. This was the most complex job as almost 300 metres were totally clogged with stones and other inert materials, forcing the water to divert into the tunnel and causing serious problems in the area of São Lázaro. The staff of Tâmega have worked 24 hours a day since last Sunday to ensure the safety of the city. The ribeiras of Santa Luzia and João Gomes have been cleared and just areas of walls need to be reconstructed. When this phase has been concluded, the excavators and lorries, more than 100 of each, will start constructing the tunnel between Meia Légua and Serra d’Água in Ribeira Brava. This tunnel will cost around 40 million Euros. They will also need to attend to the main stream in the area, channelling it where necessary. Over the past seven days, 200,000 cubic metres of stones and other debris have been removed from the three streams in Funchal. The inert material (gravel) is worth more than half a million Euros in the commercial market. The Regional Government has made no decision about the fate of the recovered material – inerts and mud. At present, builders do not require inert material and transportation costs are high – 13,000 trips would be needed to move the entire stock. The fate of the roundabout at Dolce Vita has not been decided. The machinery started clearing the streams on the Saturday afternoon (20th February) despite the intense rainfall then the company increased the number of men and machinery when the gravity of the situation was realized, under the command of Santos Costa. At the end of yesterday, both Santos Costa and Alberto Jardim went to each of the streams to personally thank the employees and directors of the companies responsible for the cleaning.

Navy maintains search in Santo António. This search began last week with divers, doctors and special surveillance equipment sent to the stream and police closed the road between Rampa and Caminho do Laranjal and sealed off the area. The Navy teams are slowly working their way up stream to the bridge at the cemetery of Santo António. They are searching for the body of Manuel Nunes, a former sacristão (Sexton) of the Sé. There are also suspicions that two women have been swept away after flooding in Laranjal which lies above the stream. Bags belonging to them have been found in the reeds. Their house has been destroyed and it is thought they were trying to flee during the storm last Saturday. This is an area where there has been much destruction and many deaths, the firefighters rescued many from their houses but it is also the area where the crane used in the construction of the new cota 500 (expressway) fell. The residents fear that the other cranes are unstable, especially during the recent winds. A week is not enough time for the neighbours to mourn the losses in this area. The storm destroyed 80% of the sewerage in the high areas of this parish. The old sewerage tanks are being reactivated until the pipes can be repaired. The water supply is not affected by the sewerage problem but residents are still advised to boil it first. One of the photos is of a 14 year old who helped rescue neighbours.

MADEIRA

Since October, bad weather has been front-page news. The previous bad weather cannot parallel the tragedy of Saturday 20th February, but the weather has often made front-page news since October 2009. October 3rd, it was reported that three houses had collapsed in Funchal after heavy rainfall. October 5th, several landslides and accidents were due to rain. On October 6th, it was reported that the rainfall was abnormal compared to the past 30 years and a 300% increase over Summer. December 16th, floods and landslides and December 19th, waves, rain and wind caused damage throughout the region. 23rd December, streams overflowed at São Vicente and Madalena do Mar, and São João was without water. 24th December, houses at risk in São Vicente and four parishes of Santana without water. The promenades at Faial and Madalena were destroyed, homes and cars damaged by falling trees in Santa Cruz and flooding and landslides in Funchal and Curral das Freiras. 27th December, the bad weather had left Ponta do Sol without water. December 29th, families displaced in Monte and isolated in Serra d’Água. In 2010, 3rd February, a day and night of bad weather caused chaos throughout Madeira, particularly in Santana and Porto da Cruz and areas of Machico were left unrecognizable. February 16th, the sea caused damage and on February 18th, it was reported that the sea had engulfed many coastal infrastructures.

RG3 still needs help. Donations needed of: deodorant, toilet paper, flour, corn, coffee, chocolate, gel and / or shaving cream, rice, cereals, salt, cream, pasta, after-shave, nappies and adult incontinence pads, colónias para bebés (?), bath gel for infants and adults, and hair conditioner.

Lions Club of Funchal opens an account. To raise funds to help resettle victims of the flood. NIB of bank account for donations, account in CGD is: 0035 0336 0011 7092 9305 0.

ECONOMY

AidaAluna brings tourists. After six cancellations of cruise ships, the Port of Funchal returns to normal today. 2,250 German tourists arrived and were greeted with a warm welcome and presented with flowers. This charm offensive was by the Port Administrators who also laid on a bus to transport tourists to downtown Funchal. A symbolic day for the region. The Costa Europa, a frequent visitor, suffered a serious accident the day before yesterday while mooring at Sharm el-Sheik in Egypt. The strong wind pushed the ship against the wall of the port, killing three crew members and two passengers were injured. The hull was damaged and the cruise had to be ended. In April, the ship will operate under charter to Thomson Cruises with the name Thomson Dream.

APAVT and TAP to see reconstruction. Tomorrow, a delegation form the Portuguese Association of Travel Agents and Tourism is expected in Madeira to see the progress of the recuperation of the regional infrastructure following the recent floods. The president and vice-president will meet the Regional Secretary of Tourism and Transport to hear an account of initiatives taken to support the resumption of tourism. Journalists from the major Portuguese tourism publications will also be flown in by TAP, accompanied by the airline’s general manager.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

REGIONAL

All displaced to be rehoused by the end of March.  The chairman of the IHM said that all housing situations caused by the storm of 20th February should be resolved by the end of March. In Funchal, Santa Cruz and Câmara de Lobos, people would either be temporarily or permanently rehoused. The same for Ribeira Brava, but the IHM has no vacant accommodation so they are looking for leasing or purchasing housing, (which is scarce), or asking emigrants with empty property to temporarily lease it. In other counties, there are fewer people to be accommodated. The various authorities will see if those temporarily rehoused can go back to their own homes or if the houses cannot be recuperated.

Bridge mounted on Tuesday. The Mayor of Ribeira Brava announced that a military bridge would allow access to Fajã da Ribeira, replacing the one that was destroyed. Another bridge allowing access to Tabua should be constructed either that day or the next day. There is still no road access to north Tabua but road access to south Tabua is now opened. Still restricted access to Serra d’Água but trucks taking donated goods to the area are allowed and 40 military personnel are offering support to the isolated population.

Today’s news headlines from the front page of the Diário de Notícias :

Damages in commerce hit by the floods – The loss of rent in certain establishments is on the way to hitting 20 million Euros.

Today’s main news headline : Restaurants in the marina are going to ground – The storms and their destruction oblige the Ports to prepare for works : 8 units in Funchal Marina, amongst them restaurants and shops, are  going now to be demolished. The new structures will cost €5 million, and 100 workers will lose their jobs.

Anxiety surrounds the summit in Lisbon – [president] Jardim says  he trusts in [prime minister] Sócrates regarding the promised support. Parties expect money for the Region and responsibility.

Sócrates says that the priority is cooperation – The prime minister says that now is not the moment for "recriminations and disputes".

"If everything were to run normally, I will get to 2011 and say ‘cheerio, until next time’". Jardim admits to reconsidering his decision to quit the Regional Government in 2011.

Cleaning operations underway in Luso-Brasileira – Public Security Police asks residents to stay at home.

Citizens with an important role in the ‘return’ of Funchal - Life goes back to normal today in the capital, but with many constraints. The council requests understanding : the ideal action is to leave the car at home. The Diário shows the closed streets and authorised parking spaces. MAP SHOWING ROADS CLOSED / RESTRICTED & CAR PARKS OPEN

Rumours continue to disrupt the reconstruction and the searches.

"This is a superior people" – Jardim says he was not surprised by the speed of the clean up.

Schools reopen on Monday – The exception is the Language Academy of Madeira  that "for reasons of safety" will resume classes on Tuesday.

Traffic returns to almost all of the streets of Funchal – Six car parks are open starting Monday.

The storm in Madeira was only a "sign" of a global trend – The Director of the North American Centre for  Science and Technology for Coastal Margin Observation, warns : Portugal "is going to  live in the midst of climate change".

The main sport / football headline today : Alvalade returns to live a night of triumph – Gala exhibition of Sporting results in thrashing (3 – 0) of FC Porto. The ‘classic’ match raised around 30 thousand Euros for Madeira. Today Nacional v Belenenses – 8.15 pm SportTV1.

If anyone else can oblige with the translation of any of the ‘blank’ or sparsely filled headlines, or other news stories, here is the link. All contributions much appreciated. 

Many thanks to Paul for sending in these two links to articles :

1. What Atlantic Holidays, part of the Pestana Group, is advising its clients who booked or are considering holidays in Madeira. “The situation in Madeira has improved immensely in the last few days and the island is gradually returning to normal.” Atlantic Holidays part of the Pestana Group informs its customers on its website that: None of the tourist resorts nor the hotels have been affected and, therefore, we continue to operate our holidays as planned.” Link to their site with up to date images of the island

2. BBC Interview with Joao Camacho in Gloucester who runs Atlantic Holidays. “A storm of this magnitude has never happened before in Madeira so everybody is upset”, says João Camacho in Gloucester who runs Atlantic Holidays, interviewed on BBC Radio Gloucestershire. INTERVIEW

And here’s another one just in this morning … Island Escape, but no escape this week … thanks for the photo Pete.

madeira news blog 1003 pete island escape cruise ship—————————————————————————————————————————————–
If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and photos / videos.

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Please use the comments here for general chit-chat, or feel free to ask any questions … someone usually has an answer.

(more…)

Dog owner needed ; Jersey & Guernsey chip in ; Road closures, & other news headlines

February 28, 2010 By: Der Category: Madeira & General News, Reader Chat & Questions

Today’s photo from Tom

"Der, please post that nice dog on your board. I have found him on Monte today. It is lost dog little bit skinny but well behaving and very nice, very small and cute. I cannot keep him longer than 3 days. I am not staying here permanently, otherwise I’ll keep him. Thanks. (Free of charge of course)". Tom. If anyone can help pleeeease … email me and I will pass it on. Der

madeira news blog 1002 tom abandoned dog

Many thanks to Becky for these videos :

A guided walk from Monte to Terreiro da Luta – seemingly all uphill and accompanied by the strange choice of some terrifying Holst, which certainly makes you wonder what’s around each corner!  If that doesn’t put you off, here’s exactly what to do, and at least it must be all downhill on the way back…

Another walk, this time into the peace and quiet of a Banana Farm in Arco da Calheta, ending with a beautiful view of the sea.  No music, just footsteps… and bananas. 

Samantha Cox sent me this link for her full interview on the situation on Madeira, saying that the "the show was very positive about coming to Madeira and I think will help allay any fears people may have, especially as the clincher was the chap at the beginning complaining, he came here, and ended the show with a thumbs up report!". BBC RADIO 4 You will need to have / download REALPLAYER to listen.

Many thanks to Paul for sending in this information (2 articles) :

Roads closed temporarily as at 27 February 2010 (list and pdf map)

The Regional Civil Protection Service, IP-RAM, in statement issued on February 27, 2010, reports that are temporarily closed the following regional roads:
Regional roads

E.R. 101 – Caminho dos Pretos
E.R. 101 – Ponta Delgada – Boaventura
E.R. 101-10 Madalena do Mar – Ponta do Sol
E.R. 103 – Ribeiro Frio – Poiso
E.R. 103 – Zona do Cabouco
E.R. 104 – Serra D’ Água – Meia Légua
E.R. 105 – Boca da Encumeada – Estanquinhos
E.R.107-1 – Acesso à Eira do Serrado
E.R. 213 – São Roque do Faial
E.R. 222 – Sítio da Santinha – Ponte
E.R. 223 – Jardim do Mar – Estreito da Calheta
E.R. 227 – Ribeira da Tabua
E.R. 229 – Lugar da Ribeira (Bridge) – Campanário

ViaExpresso:
Exit Ribeira Brava Motor way- Cruzamento do Rosário
Serra d’Água old road – Tunnel Sacramento
Estreito da Calheta – Jardim do Mar

ViaLitoral:
Luso-Brasileira -Pestana Júnior
Motor way acess to Encumeada
The Regional Civil Protection Service, IP-RAM, reports that the following regional roads are partially closed:
E.R. 102 – Camacha – Santo da Serra
E.R. 103 – Monte – Poiso
E.R. 107 – Romeiras-Curral das Freiras   MAP OF ROAD CLOSURES  INFORMATION SOURCE

Viva Madeira, Viva Jersey! One primary school in Jersey raises nearly 800 euros for Madeira!

Source of Jersey map

PUPILS at Springfield Primary School in the capital of Jersey, St.Helier, my homeland, have raised more than £700 for the Jersey ‘Side by Side’ appeal for Madeira yesterday – the most the school has ever raised at a fundraising event.

The school, which has many students of Madeiran descent, organised a ‘Madeira Day’ during which the students paid £1 to wear yellow and blue, the colours of the Madeiran flag.

There was also a cake sale, face painting and blue and yellow friendship bracelets on sale. One girl even donated £50 of her birthday money to the fundraising total. Teacher Jackie Meneses, who herself has family in Madeira, said that the day had been an emotional one.

‘It was amazing,’ she said. ‘We made the most amount of money we have ever made in fundraising and we have also been given a £100 voucher for La Capannina restaurant, the most famous Italian restaurant on the island for which we hope to organise a competition of some sort. I was quite emotional and we were just overawed by the generosity of people.’

Many people from the Madeiran community came up to us and said thank you for doing this.’ LINK

‘Viva Madeira! Viva Guernsey! An aid lorry is leaving Guernsey this weekend to help those affected by the flash flood in Madeira.

Elvio Pires, president of the Guernsey Portuguese Association, said there had been a great response to their appeal.

He said the lorry had been packed with clothing, hygienic products and other items to help those who lost everything in the flood earlier this week.

Mr Pires paid tribute to those from the island who helped to fill the lorry "in just two days".

He said: "Thank you to everyone who brought stuff to send over, locals, people from the Latvian community, from the Polish community and of course from the Madeiran community."

Mr Pires, along with a majority of the island’s Portuguese community, has family in Madeira. Map of Bailiwick of Guernsey labelled in the Guernsey language    SOURCE BBC

It’s great what is going on to try and help, and these are just two more cases, and the East Timor story of Friday, and I heard on the radio that Naval Football Club were donating their match receipts to help Madeira, from their game yesterday (Naval won 2 – 1). But only one person (thank you) has answered the question yesterday from Roslyn. Does that mean that no blog reader has donated anything yet … can’t be? Can it? I can admit that I haven’t as yet, but I want to, and I need to know as much as Roslyn, and sooner rather than later. 

Tom put a comment on yesterday’s blog comments: "Just returned from Monte. Babosas is destroyed totally. Church standing there Friday a week ago is a pile of rumble. Two huge rocks like 2m high rolled over the church like a bomb. Only the steps of the church and back washrooms survived. Clean up in progress".

madeira news blog 1002 tom monte baboses church 1

madeira news blog 1002 tom monte baboses church 2Click either photo to view full size

He then sent me in these photos, adding "Here you have Monte / Babosas? and the gone small antic church. You can see two bombs — huge rocks. They went from the hill behind the church and destroyed it totally and completely. This is unbelievable. Today I went to the heart / mouth of the beginning of the flash flood high above Monte inside eucalyptus forest (I do not advice going there). Two streams (one is already gone today, the second is miniscule today). They join together at the end of the forest and run down with tremendous force carving a huge valley on its way. Just 300-400 meters below, the first obstacle was the small church. As you see there is not much left. Only the church washrooms survive just because they were hidden aside. Moonlike picture".

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It was a very short press conference yesterday evening, as the government spokesperson briefed those interested on what has happened since the last one. The main point was that ALL schools will be open as usual tomorrow. Conceição Estudante added that the roads that serve the schools may still have restrictions, and the parking, and of course public transport will not be fully back to normal, but a little extra effort if needed wouldn’t do any harm. She spoke briefly about a couple of works that were now underway, including the access problem at Paul do Mar.

Conceição Estudante, as many will know, is the Regional Secretary for Transport and Tourism. So why has she been the spokeswoman for the Madeira Government over the last week, and throughout this catastrophe? Not the ideal person as far as jobs go. Maybe because the most important aspect of all this is minimising the impact on present and future tourism? Definitely not!  Conceição Estudante is a brilliant performer in public relations, and not that she needed to prove the point, but she has done a tremendous job in presenting the bad news, and some good recovery news as well, and also in representing her somewhat less credible lords and masters.

She came a bit unstuck on the controversy of ‘counting the dead’, but I would guess that she was doing exactly what she was asked to do, and when the ‘game was up’, she came back with a response that almost seemed to satisfy the journalists. That’s not to say that the talk of the island is no longer about how the numbers of deceased are still being suppressed, although personally I am one of the few that don’t believe that.

Can you imagine Uncle Bertie or one of his political cronies trying to front that responsibility? I tried, and chortled a little. A return visit to Tabua perhaps (remember Summer 2009) and UB telling the journalists to F*** O** because one asked a difficult question. Or perhaps one of the more senior PSD-M politicians, perhaps the one with a rather large share in the Madeira cement industry here, telling journalists that Serra d’Água would be rebuilt in concrete, without the € signs showing in the rapidly rotating eyeballs in front of an audience that knows the history of the greedy git. And I don’t mean to be disrespectful in this ‘imaginary scenario’, as I should have no doubt that all these fine men would be looking after Madeira and Madeirans, first and foremost. Although the news this week, about turning down the services of a specialised search and rescue team from the Azores, does cast a little shadow over my perception of what might be the true priorities.

The appointment of Conceição Estudante, as the interface between the regional government and the media in these troubled times, was an absolute masterstroke. I take my hat off to the top men that thought that one up, and to the lady herself. Conceição Estudante is not an elected politician, she is appointed to her post by the Regional Government (as far as I have been able to work out so far), and so although obviously she has to tow the party political line of Uncle Bertie, she can actually demonstrate some degree of impartiality and separate herself from some of the nonsense of the politicians that surround her. She does so more often than not, but not always, so outside of this week’s performance she doesn’t quite score full marks on my blackboard.

So what she has done is managed communications about a natural disaster and its consequences, and as a result (I really so hope at least) and is averting a potentially really deep economic crisis, through her credibility, dominating personality,  and natural abilities in the complex matters of PR. I am referring of course to Madeira through the eyes of the rest of the world … firstly how we can attract help and financial aid, and secondly without making Madeira look like a crumbling wreck and therefore unattractive to tourism. 

I should finish up by saying that only an idiot could actually make Madeira sound like a crumbling wreck, but Madeira is of course the home to the king of that genre. Madeira is of course as beautiful as ever, and following the advice issued by the authorities one will ensure that a holiday or even a lifetime here is as safe as it has ever been. 

There is a part two to this ramble which I may publish tomorrow, but I am not sure if publishing it now would be insensitive in the circumstances … logo se vê.

Many thanks to Elaine for yesterday’s top news stories :

DIÁRIO 27/02/2010

MADEIRA

Storm devastates Aviceiros. Montado dos Aviceiros is a property located at 1,200 metres above sea level in the zone of Campanário in Ribeira Brava. It was destroyed last Saturday during the storm. Access is only through the Boca da Corrida in Jardim da Serra and it is situated two kilometres from the Forest Rangers post. The aim of the Montado dos Aviceiros project is to restore the original vegetation of the valleys and the construction of a self-sufficient ecovillage to enable a healthy lifestyle. Over several years, the flora found at this altitude has been restored with the infrastructure to support mountain tourism, agriculture and livestock farming. There have been training courses organized on various topics and group workshops. At the site, two houses have been used by nature lovers, up to 15 at a time, who have enjoyed the various footpaths. The excessive rain during 2009 / 2010 destroyed the natural cohesion of the shallow soils of these slopes, so the soil could not support the heavy rainfall on February 20th. The slopes gave way, carrying earth and stones to the lower area which serves as a flat surface for houses, agricultural store rooms and car parks. There were no casualties, only material damage and all planned activities have been cancelled. As well as flora found at this altitude, there are chestnut and walnut trees and the area is ideal for both nesting and visiting birds, the most evident is the ever present Manta.

Caritas is now asking for donations of furniture and household equipment. Caritas is working in conjunction with the Army and Social Security and people are beginning to be rehoused. They are distributing donated food and hygiene products throughout the counties and now also need furniture, electrical domestic appliances, equipment and utensils for those rehoused. The priority is to distribute goods to people who have lost everything, but they do not need any more clothing at present. Goods can be delivered to RG3 and the two community centres of the Associação de Desenvolvimento Comunitário do Funchal, in Vargem (Nazaré) and Murteiras. Large items are being collected at a warehouse in Ribeira João Gomes.

Câmara de Lobos has a loss of 35 million euros. This is a conservative estimate and will increase. Curral das Freiras and Jardim da Serra were the parishes most affected by landslides. The storm caused one death, one person missing and 50 – 60 homeless families, 15 still housed in community centres. Debris has been removed form the mouth of the ribeira da Alforra and up to yesterday, 7,500 cubic metres of debris have been removed and dumped. The council had wanted a new road access to Curral das Freiras but this decision was overturned by the PSD in the last Municipal Assembly, and President Jardim said it was absurd to speak of a new access. The mayor has always expressed his concern that the parish should always be safely accessible and the problems of isolation of this area need to be solved.

Hundreds of people are helping in the collection and separation of food. At the Mercado Abastecedor de São Martinho, over 200 volunteers have been separating food and other usable items donated by Jerónimo Martins. These have been rescued from the group’s flooded Pingo Doce shops in Anadia and Doce Vita. The products will be delivered to families affected by the storm. The estimate is that 30% of the stock at the supermarket in Anadia and 80% of the stock in Dolce Vita have arrived and would be worth about one million euros in the food market. Everything that was salvageable from the mud has been delivered to this centre and the rice that had become moist went to SPAD for animal feed. The more perishable products like fruit and vegetables have been delivered to support centres in the most affected parishes and to charities. The cleaned and separated products are now being packaged for delivery to relocated families. Even children have helped, especially as there has been no school and they have nothing to do, alongside students and teachers.

Youngsters apprehended robbing a devastated house. Two people were arrested early on Tuesday at Seara Velha in Curral das Freiras after attempting to steal from a house that had collapsed during last Saturday’s storm. The two, aged 17 and 21, live in Curral das Freiras, were armed with a shotgun and fired at arriving police. They eventually surrendered without the police having to shoot back. There have been other attempts in Funchal, including an assault on a bank and a shop during the chaotic first hours of the flood. Both of these individuals were arrested.

ECONOMY

Mundovip launches campaign ‘Celebrate Recovery’. A promotional package for the domestic market, ‘Come to the Flower Festival to celebrate the recovery of Madeira’. Mundovip is the largest tourism operator in Portugal and is offering from 15 – 17 April, flights on TAP and SATA from Lisbon and bed and breakfast accommodation at the five star CS Madeira Hotel. Rates are between 209 and 462 euros, and 133 euros for children. They also have a promotion with accommodation at the Quinta da Bela Vista. However, the Spanish tour operator ‘Portugal Tour’ has had cancellations for Easter. They consider this to be normal considering that Spanish television has focused every day on the disaster. The tour operators might find more tourists prefer the island of Porto Santo.

CULTURE

‘Hope for Madeira’ is tomorrow (Sunday).  The solidarity gala at the Coliseu dos Recreios in Lisbon starts at 21.45 tomorrow (Sunday). It hosts several top Portuguese musicians and will be broadcasted live on SIC television.

‘Voices of the Songs of Fado’ unite for Madeira. This show will be held on Saturday March 6 at 21.00 at the Centro de Congressos da Madeira. Tickets on sale at the Congress Centre (and possibly FNAC) cost 15 euros.

Mural de Berardo destroyed at Monte. A mural dating from 1991, by the Argentinian artist Alberto Cedrón, was destroyed at the Quinta do Monte. A landslide fell onto the wall comprising of multiple panels in ceramics. This mural was titled, Adventure of the Portuguese in Japan, and measured 20 x 2 metres. Only one third of the panel is in a good condition and the rest has been partially or totally destroyed. It is not known what can be restored.

Today’s news headlines from the front page of the Diário de Notícias :

Today’s main news headline : Excavators head for Serra de Água – Completed the clearances of the river beds in Funchal, the constructors now have a new large scale objective.

Tempest leaves €500 thousand [worth] of inert materials piled up.

Navy continues searches in Santo António.

The large photo, bottom right, shows a devastating scene on a major road : Earthquake in Chile causes 214 deaths.

Diário to pay tribute to the victims and heroes of the catastrophe.

Government prepares restart of lessons on Monday. The Regional Secretary for Education calls for "common sense in analysing" the issues of lateness and absences.

Waves lash the pool at the Lido [Funchal] – Part of the edge is destroyed.

The night was calm, despite the Weather Office warnings.

The main sport / football headline today : They got away with 35 thousand Euros for Madeira – Marítimo lost the game of solidarity.

Madaíl asks for support from UEFA to restore the Madeiran sports park.

If anyone else can oblige with the translation of any of the ‘blank’ or sparsely filled headlines, or other news stories, here is the link. All contributions much appreciated. 

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If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and photos / videos.

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Funchal flooding by night ; Road closures around Madeira ; Best way to make donations?

February 27, 2010 By: Der Category: Madeira & General News, Reader Chat & Questions

Today’s photo – Many thanks to … Bird : "I guess each of these has its point. My own preference is for no. 3, which has some drama but is technically imperfect (one does not run around with a tripod in disaster areas). For those that prefer poetry, there is no. 4 ("The Avenida do Mar, well named"). But it’s all up to you" … Bird. Many thanks Bird, I think they are all shocking but impressive, and I presume were taken last weekend before dawn … your first name isn’t ‘Early’ by any chance?

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I hope we can all wake up this morning and find that all the worry of yesterday has passed, or is passing at least. People were really concerned about the forecast for heavy rain last night, I even saw shops closing early and using primitive means to protect their premises from further flooding. Der.

Many thanks to Becky for these two cheerier videos :

Bailhinho da Madeira.  

Impressions of Madeira.  Footage taken in February 2010, which I expected to be completely rain-soaked, but it finally ends in sunshine looking down on Curral das Freiras from Eira do Serrado.

Tobi kindly sent this in : "I have recorded the BBC Radio 4 interview" HERE Brave man Tobi, I just hope that Sam doesn’t mind, and no one else ends up in the water.

I was sent this by email : "My husband and I have been visiting Madeira two or three times each year since 1990.  We have Madeiran Godchildren and a Madeiran family.  This beautiful island is our second home.   We are devastated by this tragedy but know Madeira will rebuild and survive and become beautiful again.

Our first visit to Madeira in August 1990 was because I had undergone emergency eye surgery in May of that year and, once recovered, I made the decision to only look at beautiful things because I had almost lost my sight.  Madeira was my choice of "viewing" and it has never, ever, disappointed me.  We had our silver wedding anniversary celebration in the English Church in 1998 and have attended the baptism and confirmation of our Godchildren in Câmara de Lobos.

I only wish I knew how to help the Madeiran people who have lost their homes and livelihoods and relatives.  I shall ask the Side-by-Side people in Jersey if I can help through them". Roslyn (full name supplied) England.

Thank you Roslyn … if you want to make a financial donation, there are several routes, covered on this blog during this week, and more. I cannot tell you which is the best route, but maybe some people who have already given could post comments today on their opinions, particularly regarding currency, ease of use, and what are the more official, fast, and direct channels of giving.

This weekends football : Somehow it doesn’t seem right to be talking about football, but life must go on, and maybe a little distraction will do some good in such a distressing week. Anyway, as I have no news to the contrary, I assume that the planned fixtures are being played. First up are Marítimo at 4 pm this afternoon, with an away game at Naval, just 4 points behind our lads. Nacional host bottom club Belenenses on Monday night. 8.15 pm on SportTV1. Belenenses have won just one game in the 20 played so far this season. Top game this weekend is tomorrow night, when Sporting, buoyant after giving Everton a bit of a whipping in the Europa League this week, host Porto. It’s on SportTV1 at 8.15 pm.

Many thanks to Elaine (out West) for this piece from the Diário :

Roads closed around the island. The most complicated situations are those in Meia Légua, Serra da Agua and also Tabua. Several roads remain closed after the storm last Saturday. The west is the most affected, but there is also prohibited or conditional access elsewhere in the region. According to information provided by the Regional Secretariat for Social Affairs Bureau, the following roads in the west are closed: ER 101 (10), between Madalena do Mar and Ponta do Sol, ER 104 between Serra d’Agua and Meia Légua, ER 105 from Boca da Encumeada to Estanquinhos, ER 222, which connects Sítio da Santinha to Ponte, ER 223 at the descent from Jardim do Mar to Estreito da Calheta, ER 227 in Ribeira da Tabua, and ER 229 which connects Lugar da Ribeira (Ponte) to Campanário.

Also still closed are the ER 101 at Caminho dos Pretos (Funchal) and between Ponta Delgada and Boaventura. In addition there are some roads where traffic is restricted. These are the ER 102 between Camacha and Santo da Serra, the RE 103 from Monte to Poiso, and the ER 107, which connects Romeiras to the Nuns’ Valley. The Bureau also draws the attention of motorists to the fact that, while open, the roads should be used with great caution because some have not yet been thoroughly cleaned.

Elaine (out East) is back after a long loss of internet … hurrah … many thanks for these news stories.

DIÁRIO 26/02/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Jardim spoke with Barroso – 1.3 billion Euros in damages. Funding will be made at three levels: Europe, State and the Region. The balance is not finalised and losses are guaranteed to be more than 1.3 billion Euros. This figure will be explained to the European Commission at two different levels. First, the banks and the mouths of the most dangerous streams have been destroyed, and the added water transported thousands of cubic metres of gravel and mud, weakened the beds and leaves a threat in the air in case of new rainfall. With more than 100 km of regional roads, which join all of the municipal roads, partially or totally damaged, reconstruction also involves the consolidation of slopes to prevent new landslides. At least three bridges have fallen, their reconstruction involves a large investment or alternative newer safer trajectories constructed. The inventory of damage is still being produced, involving the municipal councils, the Estradas da Madeira and departments of the Regional Government. Jardim will then send this to Brussels along with two Regional ministers. The Council of Funchal has advanced a loss of 140 million Euros for trade and more than 100 million Euros for municipal roads and other structures. This does not include money for intervention in the streams and help required for reconstruction of habitation for those who have lost their houses. Some areas need to construct new infrastructures, for example a new tunnel at Santa de Água will cost 60 million Euros. At the second level, Madeira will have to rebuild newer and safer accessibility and residential areas. There has been major destruction in Serra de Água, Tabua, Funchal, Santa Cruz as well as other counties. The funding will come through grants and lines of credit. The decisive factor may be changing the rules applied by the European Parliament by Portuguese deputies, suggesting a reprogramming of funds from the European Cohesion Fund, European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund on a basis of rapid and simplified procedures making advance payments wherever possible.

MADEIRA

Quercus challenge people to speak. The environmental association Quercus published today on the Internet portal a document listing 22 failures in the organization and planning of the territory,  ‘Aluvião no Funchal, 20 de Fevereiro de 2010, o que ajudou que tudo corresse mal?’ Over the past 14 years, the association has pointed out errors and recommendations for risk prevention. In 2003, their Study on the Streams traced the history of landslides and mudslides and recommended measures to prevent them. It is now time for the community to speak about what they saw, whether this is down to extreme nature, climate change or other factors. Using a map of Funchal, they have outlined the three clogged and flooded watercourses and want this to be a starting point of a document for the Public Ministry.

Two more dead in the rubble at Ribeira Brava.  Five dead, two missing and 102 homeless in this county. The two missing bodies that were found yesterday are thought to belong to a family of seven from Pomar de Rocha and the only survivor has had at least one limb amputated. The elderly woman was found in the interior of the residence and the child lying in the bottom of the valley, near the Meia Légua tunnel, just inside the perimeter of the Centro Desportivo da Madeira. The mayor admits there may be more victims in the county, especially along the expressway of Serra de Água which was engulfed by flood waters. The quality of the water supply is poor in the West of Ribeira Brava, especially in Tabua and Banda d`Além. The most troublesome area for the water supply is Serra de Água and Ribeira da Tabua as the only supply to this isolated area has been broken. There are noticeable differences day to day in the county despite setbacks like craters appearing in roads. About 100 homes were inundated, 30 badly damaged and eight levadas flooded in Serra D´Água last Saturday. The population in the areas most affected, Travessa, Quebrada, Romeira and other areas, are returning to normal life but still express fears.

57 landslides in one day. On Saturday, in the peak of the rainfall, between nine and eleven o’clock in the morning, there were 57 landslides in the county of Funchal. São Martinho was the parish least affected whereas Santo António, a highly populated area, was one of the parishes with the most number of victims. The map also shows the number of trees that have been planted in an attempt to prevent flooding. But the process of reforestation was severely affected by years of drought between 2002 and 2005. There is no deadline for completion of the clean up work in Funchal, the machines still clearing the three streams. From Ribeira de São João, three to four tons of stones have been removed, The clearance work is difficult by Marina Shopping and Minas Gerais. It would have been easier to demolish the roundabout – Rotunda do Infante – but the council decided to make a hole in the concrete in this area and this has delayed the work by a day. In the area of Ribeira de João Gomes, the critical points are the Campo da Barca and the Oudinet building. The petrol station has been demolished and will not be rebuilt. At Praia Formosa, there have been 2,250 truck loads dumped, retrieved from the streams and lower Funchal. Link to the map.

Carreiros resume activity in Monte. The wicker basket rides down from Monte to Funchal will resume today. The problems in the final area of Livramento should be resolved today. There are 130 men involved in this type of work and they are wanting to resume as it is their life. Confident of help from Nossa Senhora do Monte because this could have been worse. One of the men, a 39 year old, has lost his house and is residing with his unemployed wife and two children at accommodation of the Scouts in Monte. One of the things he saved from the house was his costume for the work – white dress and straw hat – a tourist symbol for more than 200 years.

ECONOMY

Supermarkets keeping prices the same. Food prices will not increase following the disaster. Prices are the same throughout the country at Pingo Doce. The company, Grupo Jerónimo Martins, has contracts that ensure fixed prices throughout the year. Modelo will keep the prices the same to help Madeirans in their hour of greatest difficulty. Grupo Sá will not alter prices to ensure the security and peace of Madeirans. Only 15% of their products are local so they will not have to increase prices with agricultural produce affected by the rain.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

REGION

Santa Cruz notes extensive damage. Contrary to what may seem by the near silence of the media, the county of Santa Cruz has been hit hard by the storm. 19 houses need total reconstruction, 33 are in need of work and 12 need stabilization work. Some households had to be evacuated as the area was dangerous and there are 184 homeless people (67 households). The mayor asks the population in Gaula and Camacha not to over consume water now the supply has been re-established after a break in the tunnel at Porto Novo. Camacha was the area most damaged by the storm as there has been a high level of rainfall since the beginning of the year, resulting in landslides.

Machico estimate three million Euros loss. Several shops and houses were flooded with water and mud. In the zone of Caramanchão, a dozen hoses were affected by flooding. Many walls and public areas have to be replaced and traffic routes cleaned.

Today’s news headlines from the front page of the Diário de Notícias :

Solidarity with artists and sportsmen – After the support announced by Benfica and Porto, Sporting keeps it [gate?] receipts for Madeira. Marco Polo and Maria da Fé on the list for a concert / show in Funchal on 6th March.

Survivor from Pomar [da Rocha] doesn’t want to return home – The two sisters succumb to the storm, in Arco da Calheta, and José Guarnel is traumatised. Dramas throughout the island. 

Today’s main news headline : State and European Union guarantee €500 million. The EU guarantees just €44 million from the ‘lost fund’. Well short of the €1.4 billion needed to rebuild Madeira according to yesterdays news, and that figure is creeping up by the day.

Barroso visits Madeira on the 12th of March. The (Portuguese) European Commissioner is going to pay us a visit. An interesting question as to whether his roots will ensure he cuts Madeira the best possible aid deal, or will he aim to be seen as impartial and hence rather cold to a tragedy at home.

Lisbon will take on a loan of €240 million and the transfer of another €200 million.

The Madeira Government announced €20 million grant for affected traders.

Councils exempt citizens and businesses from IMI.

The main photo today is accompanied by the headline : Rumours make nervous and empty Funchal. The rumours were back on the attack during the day yesterday, consisting of false orders for the evacuation of the capital up until 18.00 hours. Later, the Civil Protection came forward to correct the ‘alarm’ situation, such as Meteorology did with a ‘hurricane’ [rumour ?]. But in the meantime there were citizens fleeing, and shops and services rushing to close early. Much the same over my way in Ribeira Brava, with shops and businesses closing early, and hasty attempts at waterproofing premises against further water damage. By 9.30 pm last night, before even a gust of wind or a droplet of precipitation, the place was a ghost town. All (so far) unwarranted, as after a night of on and off winds and rain, a nice sunny day has appeared. River levels are low, although there was a very small flash flood not long before midnight. There are reports on the radio this morning about damage caused by the very strong winds.

The latest information given yesterday was that the depression did not put the island at risk, however calling for caution in the early morning.

20 families evacuated as a precaution.

Meeting between Sócrates and Jardim is already scheduled for Monday – There will be a summit between central and regional government in order to work out the support from the state for Madeira, in the succession of the storms. [Prime Minister] Sócrates and [Finance Minister] Teixeira dos Santos are available. Jardim (who yesterday was checked out in hospital following an ailment) says he is confident.

In Funchal, [Miguel] Alburquerque continues summarising the effects of the storm, despite of the ‘insinuations’.

If anyone else can oblige with the translation of any of the ‘blank’ or sparsely filled headlines, or other news stories, here is the link. All contributions much appreciated. 

BY EMAIL : News from Prazeres to Riviera Brava : Update on conditions from Prazeres to Ribeira Brava this morning (Saturday). The roads are OK but care is needed as there are large rocks at the side of the roads. Madalena do Mar has appeared to have lost the bridge at the end of the river, so the walk way down the front has collapsed. Diggers are at present removing a large amount of debris from this area.

At the roundabout at Tabua there are diggers removing very large boulders that cover the road up to Tabua, some as large as 5ft in diameter.

Some more of the wall at Lugar de Baixo has given way with huge waves crashing over the other parts, the area around the pool is unrecognisable, it is littered with debris. The road down has had another rock fall.

The roads from Paul da Serra to Canhas, Prazeres and Arco da Calheta are passable with care, as the rock falls and trees have yet to be cleared from the side of the roads.

Regards. Selina. Many thanks Selina, lots more news on damage overnight coming through on the news.

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If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and photos / videos.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Please use the comments here for general chit-chat, or feel free to ask any questions … someone usually has an answer.

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