Bridge in destruction video ; 2,000 year old nail found ; Contaminated water problems
Today’s photo – Many thanks to Becky … "Can anyone help and tell me what plant this is Looks like a Sweet Pea but I have never seen one with a curl in the middle before?".
This video has only just been posted on YouTube, but is the only one I have seen that captures the moment (well almost) when the bridge got badly damaged, with both walls swept away, and a wave of mud then swept into town. As for the second event, that damaged the bridge structurally, I have yet to find even a photograph yet of the tanker lorry that was washed down river from several kilometres away, and whacked into one of the supporting pillars before being torn to pieces. Compulsive but not exactly pleasant viewing! Der.
Nail from time of Christ’s crucifixion found in Madeira. A four-inch long nail thought to be one of thousands used in crucifixions across the Roman empire was discovered in Summer 2009 in a decorated box in a fort on the tiny isle of Ilheu de Pontinha, just off the coast of Madeira. Pontinha was thought to have been held by the Knights Templar, the religious order that was part of the Christian forces which occupied Jerusalem during the Crusades in the 12th century. The knights were part of the plot of Dan Brown’s best-selling novel, The Da Vinci Code. Full article / Source : Daily Telegraph
Image caption: supervisor Dilly Correia Ozard has been in Guernsey for 30 years but still has a lot of family in Madeira
Superstore in Guernsey raises £1,000 for Madeira. Guernsey does its bit for another island in trouble. Sandpiper employs around 20 Madeirans at its Checkers superstore at Admiral Park, Guernsey. HERE
Many thanks to Paul for sending these in, and the following article also.
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Madeira may redirect existing EU funds to re-build infrastructure. ‘EurActiv’ comments that Madeira is already investigating the possibility of redirecting existing EU funds to the worst-hit areas. The island already receives additional regional monies as a peripheral area, and as most of these funds are already earmarked for infrastructure projects, it should be possible to use them for rebuilding bridges, roads and running water systems in the disaster zones.
New Austrian EU Regional Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn will come to Madeira this week and travel to the French coast soon, offering assurances that EU ‘disaster funds’ will be made available to the devastated regions.
- In specific cases The Solidarity Fund can be mobilised even if the threshold is not met. According to the Commission, the Solidarity Fund may only be called upon once a certain threshold has been reached – in Portugal’s case, it is set at €958 million worth of damage. First estimates from the Portuguese authorities show that the damage would exceed this threshold. In specific cases, however, the Fund can be mobilised even if the threshold is not met. The affected areas have 10 weeks to submit an application, though as French EU Minister Pierre Lellouche was quick to point out, the Solidarity Fund cannot be used for damages to private property.
- The European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF): background. The European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF), which was set up in 2002, allocates emergency aid to member states and applicant countries which have been struck by a major natural disaster. Its annual budget is €1 billion. Since 2002, the Commission has received 69 applications for financial assistance from the Fund, of which 33 led to the granting of financial support totalling more than €2.15 billion. Catastrophes are considered to be "major” if the estimated direct cost of damage exceeds three billion Euros or 0.6% of gross national income of the member state concerned. Portugal was granted aid from the EUSF in the wake of the forest fires which occurred in the summer of 2003. On that occasion it received €48.5 million.
- Madeira benefits from a reinforced support (additional funding) from Cohesion Policy as it is one of the EU’s seven "outermost regions" with a specific status recognised in the EU Treaty to take into account their specific geographic situation and their insularity. France received €109 million in 2009 when the Landes region was hit by Hurricane Klaus.
- Positions. "Europe is expected to come to the aid of those countries affected by the violent storms this weekend, who must let the European Commission know exactly what they need to get through this disaster so that European solidarity can be as efficient as possible", said French centre-right MEP Joseph Daul yesterday. "If the European Union was effective in Haiti, as it will also, I am sure, be in Chile, its duty is also to work to address the most urgent needs of those Europeans themselves affected by such a violent storm," he added. This article has been written by Paul adapted from the Euractiv article.
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Many thanks to Elaine (East) for these web snippets :
Is this true? …Pilot whales off Madeira, in the Atlantic, have been known to drag swimmers down to the depths, apparently heedless of their need for air … KILLER WHALE INTERVIEW
Madeira visitor’s blog : FIRST SECOND
Elaine out West sent this in, from yesterday’s Diário de Notícias … many thanks.
Care still needed with regard to water. Several people have come to the hospital with gastrointestinal complaints. In recent days several people have come to the Emergency Service of Hospital Dr. Nelio Mendonça with gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea. The situation was foreseen by the regional authorities, since, due to the storm of 20 February, the water supply network suffered disruptions, causing the contamination. It was for this reason that, in the first announcements made by the Government to the population, calls were made for water to be boiled before consumption. To reinforce the importance of taking care of the water, the Institute of Health Administration and Social Affairs (IASAÚDE) has created an information pamphlet in which are described and recommended some measures for water treatment. Maurício Melim, president of IASAÚDE, told the DIÁRIO on behalf of the Water Management (GEF) that he has been assured that the water of Funchal is of good quality. However, in areas that were most affected by the storm, such as the uplands of Funchal, as well as in Ribeira Brava and Ponta do Sol, where some problems were identified, there is a continued risk of contamination. "It is better to take preventative measures, which means that water should be boiled for 10 minutes before being consumed,“ he stated. This care should be reinforced in the case of children, the elderly and people with chronic diseases, who are usually more fragile, Maurício Melim warned.
How to treat drinking water. Wash salads, fruit or other foods that are consumed raw, and only drink water boiled for at least 10 minutes. If boiling is impossible, added bleach to it on the following scale: one litre of water to two drops of bleach, a gallon of water to ten drops of bleach. The water, whether boiled or treated with bleach, should be stored in a clean container (for example, a bottle with a capacity of five litres) so it can be used more easily. It is not necessary to boil or disinfect water that is intended for cooking food or cleaning teeth.
Nacional played their rescheduled football match against Belenenses yesterday afternoon, after it was postponed on Monday night due to thick fog in Choupana. Our lads managed a 1 – 0 win, ending a poor run of results, and leaving them in equal 6th position in the Portuguese premier league.
Many thanks to Elaine of the East once again for yesterday’s top news stories :
FRONT PAGE NEWS
People are the high priority. Alberto João Jardim and José Sócrates met for more than two hours yesterday in Lisbon to set a plan for dealing with the damage caused by the disaster that struck Madeira. José Sócrates welcomed a framework of cooperation and presented the three areas that Funchal and Lisbon will work hard on: homeless, economy and reconstruction of public infrastructure. "This operation of great urgency aims to restore living conditions for the homeless." The plan is also to help the recovery of the affected economy and help private enterprises recover their businesses. The Prime Minister also considered it important to recover the destroyed public infrastructure. There will be a joint committee established between both governments which will rigorously examine what can be done in all three areas: what is needed, the work that is needed and its financial cost. In the case of homelessness, new homes will only be supplied to those in need. There were 400 homes damaged by the storm and those that need cleaning, will be cleaned. In terms of businesses, cheques will be distributed to revitalise the economy. There are already credit lines established for traders. From today, there will also be help with paying wages. In the case of infrastructure, international means will be a key pillar for the reconstruction. The priority is the water infrastructure and the coast. The European Investment Bank has approved a loan of 240 million Euros for the reconstruction of public infrastructure, for 75% of the cost. Using the Solidarity Fund is another option. Sócrates says he will resort to all means. Over the next three years, the financial relationship between the two governments will be under a Special Law which will replace the Regional Finance Law for the period of reconstruction. The Regional Finance Law is not affected and will be voted on in March. The Prime Minister said this is because extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary measures. "It would be pointless if Madeira can only count on the support from the Government resulting from the new Regional Finance Law." Not so long ago, he found increased transfers to the Region were unaffordable and a negative sign but times have changed. The opposition parties all seem pleased and in agreement with this arrangement.
Century-old bridge will disappear. The Mayor of Ribeira Brava believes the century-old bridge at Ribeira Brava, opposite the church, is not recoverable after structural damage during flooding on February 20th. This iconic bridge was once the only access to the southwest coast of the island. The decision to demolish and replace it will not be taken until after further evaluation. The water in the stream underneath pounded and overflowed this bridge until the structure finally gave way and it was partially destroyed. The council have a special telephone help line for those affected by the storm, for help and advice about damage to buildings, belongings and agricultural land.
Trinidade offers to Madeira a Flower Festival campaign. Bernardo Trinidade, the State Secretary for Tourism, has instructed Turismo de Portugal to allow Madeira to enter late proposals for the PIT program, for promoting the Flower Festival to the domestic market. The deadline for submissions was last October but there is still 150,000 Euros in funding available. This exceptional measure is because of downturn in demand in the hotel and regional economy at times of high activity, Easter and the Flower Festival. As well as financial support, the promotional ‘machine’ of Tourismo de Portugal will be available. Yesterday, a delegation of the Portuguese Association of Travel Agents and Tourism and eight journalists visited the region, with the cooperation of TAP. The recovery of Madeira and promoting the Flower Festival to the domestic market were the aims. Madeira is a focus for this association as there is a meeting in Lisbon next week for European tour operators and associations, so this organization will be able to speak about the recovery of this island.
MADEIRA
Population in Achada in despair. About 30 people living in Achada in Curral das Freiras are in despair as there have been no visits to help or assess the damage and support needed, since the tragedy. The criticism is towards the Regional Government, Municipal Council and Parish Council. Although close to the centre of Curral das Freiras, this area is difficult to access and many children missed the beginning of the school week yesterday. There are four other areas difficult to access from the centre. There are still fears of mudslides and landslides in Achada.
Pilot study for Census 2011 transferred to Santana. As there have been many regions of Ribeira Brava affected by the storm on February 20th, the pilot survey for the Census 2011 is now to be carried out in Santana.
ECONOMY
Children fly free on TAP flights. TAP will launch a solidarity campaign with Madeira that provides free tickets for children under 12 years old, accompanied by their parents, flying from the Continent to Madeira. The campaign runs from April 12th to May 31st. There is not a fixed number of seats reserved for this campaign as it will depend on demand but it is assured there will be a considerable number. TAP will also assist journalists and tour operators from the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and Russia, so they can evaluate the recovery of the island. Members of the Victoria campaign can donate their air miles which will be converted to funds for the recuperation of Madeira.
Madeirans were stranded on board the Island Escape. A group of Madeirans who made a cruise between the Canary Islands and Madeira on February 15th, had a choice of staying free for another 7 nights or returning by flight. They were due to return on February 22nd but this was cancelled due to security as many streets were being cleaned and restored. Five couples declined the free cruise extension as they were anxious to return. Due to the bad weather, the ship could not stop at Agadir and only stayed at Lanzarote long enough to pick up passengers. Instead, the ship sailed between Tenerife and Las Palmas four times.The option to continue on board for an extra week meant that passengers could visit Agadir and the three Canary Islands before a difficult return journey in rough seas to Funchal.
POLITICS
New mandate of Jardim is not surprising. The confirmation of the continuity of Alberto Jardim as the head of the Regional Government and the PSD after 2011, seems almost a formality. Some of the most influential leaders of the party were not surprised by his statement that he is reconsidering leaving. Miguel Mendonça, president of the Legislative Assembly, has always advocated Jardim remaining in power and says that the reconstruction of Madeira might be a factor in this important decision. He said he is of the same generation as Jardim and is grateful for what he has done and maybe he is "mais albertista". Miguel Sousa, vice-president of the Legislative Assembly, also agrees with this decision, "I thought so in times of peace, much more I believe in times of crisis."
CULTURE
Cultural Agenda of DRAC is outdated. The Cultural Agenda of DRAC for March, published yesterday, does not include changes due to the aftermath of the flood. These are after the flooding of the Municipal Theatre and include the postponement of some plays, exhibitions and concerts. Some other concerts are not guaranteed, for example those by the OCM at the Casino.
Gala raised half a million Euros. The Portuguese pledged 526,000 Euros to help the victims of the flood. The gala event in Lisbon was organized by SIC television channel and was broadcasted live.
Taken from today’s Journal da Madeira. Best wishes to you all. Waterbaby.
FIRST MODULE OF THE BRIDGE FOR FAJÃ DA RIBEIRA, RIBEIRA BRAVA HAS ARRIVED!
The first of several modules of a bridge for Fajã da Ribeira, Ribeira Brava arrived yesterday at around 18.15 hours, by a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft of the Portuguese Air force. Assembly of the bridge modules will be carried out by army engineers who arrived on the same flight. This flight also included a Lieutenant-General of the Portuguese Army, Amaral Vieira, who came to learn of the help that the army has provided to the region following the floods. In a brief interview Lt-General Vieira said ‘I know what the staff of the 3rd Regiment of the Military Zone of Madeira has done, and I want to congratulate them for the excellent work they have carried out’.
Lt-General Vieira stated that the bridge is split into 3 sections prior to final assembly. The first section arrived yesterday and today two additional flights by C-130 transport aircraft arriving in Madeira at 11.30 and 13.30 hours, whereupon the sections will be transported and assembled on site. Weather permitting the assembly will take 24 hours to complete, with the bridge being capable of supporting up to 22 tonne loads.
For the return flight to the Mainland, the transport aircraft took aboard 10 elements of firefighters from Lisbon, as well as elements of the Navy (Marines) and equipment such as the large capacity pumps loaned by firefighters and the Port of Lisbon, that were used to empty the basements of some buildings. Many thanks Waterbaby. I can’t find the exact location of this on my very expensive map, or through the internet, but I believe this is the bridge that will open up the road to Serra d’Água again?
Today’s news headlines from the front page of the Diário de Notícias :
Madeira is losing anti-storm ‘shield’ – The island is more vulnerable to the bad weather.
The instability continues this Winter.
Hail stones whitened the mountain ranges and arrived in Funchal.
Today’s main news headline : Damages of €90 million in Ribeira Brava – The initial calculations of the Council don’t include damaged equipment [infrastructure] of the Regional Government within the area of responsibility, such as the roads.
Governments give priority to the European Funds – [president] Jardim and [prime minister] Sócrates seek to minimise expenses in the state budget. Nacional funds will not arrive before May.
Regional Government wants to re-house the displaced population [through the floods] up until the end of March. 350 people are currently staying in the holding centres. There were 600 people without homes, and 350 still remain in that position, mostly from Funchal, Ribeira Brava, Santa Cruz and Câmara de Lobos. I asked an official from the (family) court in Funchal about this yesterday, curious to know what guarantees Feliz Abreu from Pomar da Rocha would have, as it seems the government takes responsibility for re-housing those who have been made homeless. He said that there are no guarantees, and each case is judged on it’s own merits, based mainly on the circumstances of an individual after the event. So for example, if someone had another home, or relatives that could offer accommodation, the government would not help. The issue of whether the person had failed to take out buildings insurance or not (to have a property repaired or rebuilt) does not seem to be an issue, as it is recognised that such insurance is just too expensive for many, and besides that many policies exclude liability for ‘an act of god’, as was seen last month.
Gil Rosa Director of content on RTP Madeira. An interview with the man chosen to direct the information content for public television and radio.
Martim Santos new director of RTP Madeira – Gil Rosa moves to lead the Department of Information. The news about Martim seems to have exited Diário readers today, with mixed reactions to the appointment. 16 comments posted already (2 pm). Some readers think that there is nepotism, or perhaps favouritism, in play. Who would of thought that could happen on Madeira?
The main sport / football headline today : Nacional achieves it’s first win in 2010 – The goal of João Aurélio defeated Belenenses (1 – 0) and strengthens the position of the alvinegros for a European position. The Portugal v China friendly game, or rather a World Cup 2010 warm-up match, is live on TVI (channel 4) tonight at 8.45 pm. The under 21′s also play Wales today, with live coverage on TVI at 2.55 pm.
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.
I have been sent a computer virus warning, and whilst normally I would just bin it, this one actually comes from the Portuguese police. It is a video called "Aneis Durex", and although it arouses my curiosity at least, it apparently reformats your hard drive and sends the virus to your contacts, so don’t open it.
The blog software upgrade attempted today failed. As a result another attempt will be made tomorrow morning, but is expected to take longer, and so access to the blog will be not be possible during the work. Sorry for any inconvenience.
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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.
Santa Cruz Carnival Parade has less troupes due to lack of financial support. There will be three troupes and 200 participants, fewer than in previous years, due to a lack of financial support from the local Casa do Povo. Two of the three missing troupes are ‘Malta do Furor’ and ‘Amoreiras’. The director of Malta do Furor explained that they will participate at Gaula but the costumes and floats are expensive to make. Santa Cruz Council indirectly supports the Carnival Parade by financing the Caso do Povo who always organize it. The Caso do Povo have financial limitations but still provide six buses and a meal after the parade. There will still be 500 participants on Sunday.
Porto Santo Line keeps prices the same. Porto Santo Line run the maritime ferry, ‘Lobo Marinho’, between Madeira and Porto Santo. They will not increase prices this year, in a bid to attract customers. Turnover (cargo) fell 14% last year although the number of passengers increased by 3% to reach 361,275. The drop in business meant a loss of 1 million Euros in turnover. In four years, the cost of travel to Porto Santo has increased a little over 2% and the price for residents is kept uniform throughout the year. The winter season (October to March) is 19.9% cheaper and 40% of passengers travel then. Resident rates are 38.3% below the average ticket price but they are not publicly subsidized, unlike in the Azores. Porto Santo Line are exempt from port charges to compensate for the reduction for residents. A fuel surcharge was not added last year following a drop in fuel prices. Porto Santo Line promotes packages – travel plus hotel, groups of two or four passengers in a car – which can drop the ticket price by 20 – 50% during the winter season, and summer discounts are smaller, 3 – 10%.
Debt of Madeira Palace is 7.5 million. The Hilton and Sheraton hotel chains are in discussion about the management of the construction of the Madeira Palace hotel. The work stopped for several months last year. The construction company has 50 employees on the site but is having a problem due to the developer owing them 7.5 million Euros. The construction company cannot carry out any more work and the licenses expire in March, but should be easily renewable.
Fábrica dos Sonhos and Geringonça in Machico. Geringonça has been invited to open the Carnival Parade in Machico on Sunday at 15.00. Fábrica dos Sonhos (Factory of Dreams) will be the final act. This will be the tenth time Geringonça has taken part in Machico Carnival. Local schools and youth organizations will participate along with the Municipal Band of Machico.
People power stops advance of the machines – Yesterday morning was one of tension in Madalena [do Mar]. Despite of the police presence, the exit construction works from the tunnel didn’t get started. There is a thought provoking picture of an elderly lady, armed with an umbrella, ‘getting booked’ by the village bobby. Both Elaine and I have both given this story plenty of coverage, so not much more to add really.
