Madeira News Blog

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Tom … "Magnolias are blooming on Monte means Spring is in the air".

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

Cruising the Mediterranean (1933). 38 minutes in total, the first 8 minutes are relevant to Madeira. Keywords: S.S. Columbus, boys diving for coins, oxen drawn sleds, digging paving stones for street, laying stones, pounding, Madeira wine barrel on sled, man herding pigs in street, carrying wicker chairs, fish market, eels (Espada), removing skin on rough stone, live turtle (sold for food), flower seller, embroidery, carrying sled up stairs, sleds career down stone mountain road. HERE

Madeira. Description of the island in the 1920s. 4 minutes long silent clip. Keywords: Ox drawn sleds used for tourists, man passes a greased rag under runners, tourists ride in wicker basket sleds down stone path from Terreira da Luta. Two women sit on ground spinning yarn. Sled goes down stone path while two women wash clothes in gutter, old woman with crutch sits in chair next to young woman doing embroidery, two old men (twins?) with beards wearing pointed knitted hats sit on bench, young man making wicker chair. HERE

Many thanks to Becky for this video :

Lomelino Silva, (1892-1967) born in Funchal in Rua das Maravilhas, in the Parish of São Pedro on the 26th December 1892 on the Portuguese island of Madeira. He is known as the Portuguese Caruso. His singing talent was discovered when he was a youth whilst performing in the Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias in Funchal.

And to Elaine out West, for this news article from yesterday’s Diário de Notícias :

Another scare in Jardim do Mar.  New rockfall on the road connecting to Estreito da Calheta. More stones have fallen on the link road between Estreito da Calheta and Jardim do Mar. After a week with traffic stopped due to the storm that devastated this area, yesterday a further rockfall fell on this part of the road and only by chance were a family spared who were travelling on it. Given the pile of stones on the road, some of considerable size, the driver of the car was forced to brake in order to avoid the large covering of rocks. His tyre marks were visible on the asphalt.

In recent days the sun has returned. Now, the population of Jardim do Mar and Paul do Mar fear that the heat will open new cracks in some parts of the escarpment. The DIÁRIO knows that the link road to Jardim do Mar is on file as part of the survey that the Department of Infrastructure is conducting regarding the damage caused by the storm on 20 February.

The perils of leaving Calheta by boat before ‘rampas’ slipways or marinas were constructed

Know Calheta, Madeira History. Calheta, now with a population of 12,000 was one of the first areas in Madeira to be farmed. Its capital Calheta Town is about 31 kilometres from Funchal about 40-45 minutes drive time. As the Tourism website puts it “The municipality was once linked to the primary sector, and “industry” used to be important in the region.” There were once as many as eight sugar cane processing factories, though only one of them ‘Engenhos da Calheta’ is still operating today. With its museum with guided tours, shop and café its well worth a visit. Its about half-way up the hill from the Marina: WEBSITE

Photo : Engenhos da Calheta.

Calheta’s ocean front has been refurbished with the construction of a marina with white sand beaches next to it surrounded by spacious gardens.

The Parishes of Paul do Mar and Jardim do Mar. Two of its parishes, Paul do Mar and Jardim do Mar, challenge surfers to ride their spectacular waves. These surfing spots are nicknamed ‘Europe’s Hawaii’ and are considered among some of the best surfspots in Europe. Both villages, surfing beaches were venues for the World Surfing Championships in 2001. There are several restaurants in both these fishing villages, which of course specialise in fish dishes.

Prazeres.

Photo :  the award-winning eco-hotel Hotel Jardim Atlântico

Prazeres is a historic agriculture market village with a 17^th century church perched on Calheta’s mountains Atlantic Ocean views. It’s a mountain and levada (water canal) walking paradise with its proximity to some of the most popular walks on the island such as Levada Nova and the Prazeres to Paul do Mar walk which starts from the award-winning eco-hotel Hotel Jardim Atlântico.

“The atmosphere in Prazeres is of one incomparable peace and charm, where time stands still and no-one is ever in a hurry.”

Paul da Serra & the famous Rabaçal levada walk. From Calheta you can go up to Paul da Serra a 1,500-metre-high plateau, where there is a view of both Madeira’s coasts. You can get to from Rabaçal from there. Here the untouched UNESCO Laurissilva forest covers the mountains with a green mantle.

You can start out from Rabaçal to walk along some of the most beautiful, impressive paths into the depths of the island, until you find yourself surrounded by the Laurissilva Forest.

The Miradouros of Fonte do Bispo and the Farol (lighthouse) da Ponta do Pargo. “This belvedere is on the Paul da Serra plateau and nature lovers will feel the sensation of being enveloped by the exuberant vegetation of the Laurissilva Forest.”

“This belvedere is at the island’s westernmost point and from here we can see the rugged landscape from the lighthouse to Sítio das Achadas da Cruz.”

World class art in Calheta: Casa das Mudas Art Centre & Prazeres Art Gallery. The award-winning ‘Casa das Mudas’ art centre in Calheta is divided into two parts, a mansion built in the 16th century that belonged to a granddaughter of João Gonçalves Zarco, the discoverer of Madeira, and a new, modern wing that blends in perfectly with the surrounding scenery.

This cultural centre built into the cliff with spectacular views of the countryside and the Ocean houses presents exhibitions, musical performances, plays, conferences and many other events. The Centre has run exhibitions displaying the works of artists such as Francis Bacon, David Salle, Eric Fischl, Picasso and Dali.

Photo :  view of Calheta beaches & marina from Casa das Mudas Art Centre.

The new Prazeres Art Gallery part of ‘the Quinta Pedagogica’ complex which includes a small zoo and tea and cider houses run by the local priest is behind Prazeres Church. In early 2010 it displayed works of the world famous Portuguese artist ‘Paula Rego’.

A Tourist Guide to Calheta in English including recommended swimming areas such as Calheta’s white sandy beaches and the slipway (‘the rampa’ at Paul do Mar) is available on Calheta’s Town Hall website: HERE

The source and inspiration for Paul’s article was this page on Calheta on the official Tourism website: HERE Thanks a lot Paul, that should bring the money rolling in!

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

DIÁRIO 08/03/2010

MADEIRA

Courts give 14 cars to the region in 2009. Since 2007, goods seized by the courts have been given to RAM. They have confiscated 23 vehicles (17 cars, 6 motorcycles), 1,340.40 Euros, seven items of gold and many obsolete mobile phones. 5 of the cars were destroyed, 2 were assigned to the government, 4 sold at auction and the other 12 are awaiting disposal. The gold items will be sold at auction. Any clothing is given to institutions and other items are given to government departments. The ship Blaus VII was caught in Madeiran seas carrying 1,500 kilos of cocaine in February 2007. The Portuguese Navy is temporarily using this ship for training cadets although it belongs to the Region.

Old bridge being demolished. Update on a previous report that the century-old bridge at Ribeira Brava has to be replaced. Last Friday, the demolition of this two-support bridge began and should be finished by the end of the week. It will be replaced by a pedestrian bridge which will connect both banks without any contact with the stream. This is because in the recent flooding, the surrounding ‘downtown’ areas of Ribeira Brava were flooded as the debris was obstructed by the supporting pillars.

ECONOMY

Port loses tourists from cruise ships and ferries.  The Port of Funchal maintained its leadership as the port most visited by cruise ships. Until the end of the first two months of this year, 40 ships called bringing 79,336 passengers, a decrease of 3.1% over 2009. In February, when 6 ships cancelled with a loss of 13,000 tourists, the port still received 32,476 tourists. In January, there were 25 ships with 46,860 tourists. The Spanish ferry connecting Funchal to the Canary Islands and Portimão transported 18.9% more passengers than in 2009. The increase was due to ferrying 2,276 passengers to Portimão and 1,130 passengers to the Canary Islands. The Porto Santo Line carried 6,773 passengers or 21.8% fewer passengers to Porto Santo. In summary, during the first two months of this year, there were 4.2% fewer passengers, justified by the decrease of 2,497 tourists from cruise ships, 1,879 fewer on the Lobo Marinho, offset by an increase of 542 carried on the ‘Volcan de Tijarafe’.

IRS declaration. Deadline for paper-based declarations for Class A (dependent) and Class H (pensions) is 15 March. For declaration by the Internet, the period is March 10 – April 15.

POLITICS

Solidarity Fund will only come after summer.  The European Commissioner for regional policy, Johannes Hahn, warned yesterday that Madeira should rely on funding from the EU Solidarity Fund for reconstruction work not arriving until after summer, due to formal procedures that must be met. The Regional Government and the Government of the Republic must work together. They must make an estimate of the cost of the damage and submit it to the EU which will work as quickly as possible. This in fact, in Brussels terms, means months. The decision of the Commission for support from the Fund requires consultation and approval of the European Parliament and the European Council. Hahn admits that support might not even come this year. It depends on when the application is formalized. It is possible for Portugal to redirect some structural and cohesion funds. There are other funds for rebuilding infrastructure which will be discussed.

EXTRA

Caritas speaks of "tsunami of solidarity". After 20th February flood, there have been more than a thousand new volunteers. The charity does not want any more donations of food as the warehouse is full. Furniture and household equipment are urgently needed. To support the victims of the storm involves huge logistics. The social work part of the operation involves Social Security, Caritas and the Army working together flawlessly. The accountancy firm Madeira Management has donated 10,000 Euros to Caritas. According to a teacher I spoke to yesterday, this is a load of cobblers, because the charity doesn’t look outside of Funchal … but there again yet again perhaps I am using a tragedy for political point scoring? Der. 

ONLINE POLL

Do you believe the dispute between the Republic and the Region is resolved?

Yes     19% All short-termism politicians voted here I reckon, but I hope they are right. Der

No       50%

Maybe 31%

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

Weather forecasting platform was suggested 7 years ago – Madeira didn’t take on the project that would allow with some detail, and with 48 hours advance warning, would inform on the conditions of the state of the weather.

Inerts go to Carreiras – Funchal Council stands away from the politics of the temporary landfill sites of the Regional Government. Funchal Câmara is going to take out all the inert materials (sand, stone, mud etc.) from the site at Praia Formosa, and move it to licensed site at Carreiras, with the responsible councillor Costa Neves saying that it is "time to learn lessons for the future". "We make a point of not dumping debris and sludge into the sea and we maintain this practice", said the Environmental Spokesman for CMF. Is that responsible environmental policy by CMF, or passing the buck I wonder, as the GR has no problems with dumping muck in the sea?

Today’s main news headline : Disney comes to liven up the Flower Festival – The cruise ship of ‘Disney Cruises’ will dock in Funchal and offload characters that will mark their presence on the event. The presence of Mickey and company guarantees publicity for Madeira on a world scale at a decisive time. ‘Disney Magic’ is due to make it’s debut docking in Funchal on 18th April, the day of the cortejo (parade) of the Flower Festival, bringing the Disney’s most charismatic character Mickey Mouse and friends. Tourism haven’t confirmed the information obtained by the Diário, but they believe that the cruise visit was arranged so the passengers would be able to enjoy the Flower Festival, with a longish stop-off of almost 9 hours.

The big picture on the left : Majority of the prize-winners have not yet premiered on Madeira. Looks like there was an Oscar awards ceremony or something like that.

The main sports headline today : Tourism doesn’t take advantage of Bernardo Sousa. Bernardo Sousa is available to promote Madeira in international and national rally  competitions. It just needs those responsible to contact him. BS won the rally in Portugal last weekend, and I think someone is dropping a hint that there is an opportunity being missed here. 

Nacional defeated (0 – 2) in Guimarães gets further away from a European placing.

World Cup Football : Get to find out the biggest thrashings of all time.

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. 

Did anyone see that special programme on the Madeira disaster last night on TVI? They kept a reporting team out in the field, visiting the worst affected areas, and families that had suffered badly. It’s easy to get the impression that things are returning to normal, and in downtown Funchal and Ribeira Brava town the clean up does give that impression. But out in many of the parts that don’t make the headlines, the situation is still horrible to see, with people trying to clean up and rebuild things that are just not cleanable or rebuildable in the normal sense of those words, not in weeks or even months, and certainly not without money. It’s extremely important to revive tourism here of course, and those areas are being given priority attention, but as many local people are saying it is at the expense of help for people who needed help over two weeks ago, and still do today. I suppose I will be accused again of political point scoring on the back of a tragedy, but I don’t really care, as long as people don’t get the impression that things are hunky dory for all, and a broom and hosepipe is all that’s needed to return to normal. I didn’t think I could be shocked any more after what I have seen since the 20th February … I was wrong as I found out last night.

I have been asked if it is possible to send a cheque to help orphan Feliz Abreu. It is now. With some help, he now has his own bank account. You can send a Euro cheque to Feliz at his school, made payable to ‘José Feliz Silva Abreu’. If you can please send them to one of the teachers who is helping, as I think it might be safer :

Professora Magda Borges. Escola Secundária Padre Manuel Álvares. Rua São Francisco , 9350-211 RIBEIRA BRAVA. Madeira

Transfers direct to Feliz’s account by NIB are also now possible : NIB 0038 0000 3867 5021 771 17.

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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 other material.

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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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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.

"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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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

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 28^th 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.

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’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.

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