Madeira on the mend ; Monk Seals endangered ; Durao Barroso visit video
Today’s photo – Many thanks to Tom … "It has been done on Monte of course but rather unusual because all carriages are made of wood except that one".
A couple of snippets from Elaine (East) … many thanks.
EC rules out further banana aid. ITS JUST BANANAS
Europe seeks closer cooperation on border security. Much of the smuggling from Africa runs from Tunisia and Libya to the Italian coast or its offshore islands, including Sicily, Panteleria and Lampedusa. Other smuggling routes run from Algeria and Morocco to mainland Spain while others target the Spanish African enclaves of Ceuta and Melila. Further routes target Spanish and Portuguese Atlantic islands, notably the Canaries, Azores and Madeira. FULL STORY
Many thanks to Paul for these three articles and video :
MADEIRA ON THE MEND – UK Telegraph Newspaper – "Those of us who were visiting at the time and arrived subsequently were also invited to similarly contribute. I am told that they did so in large numbers, which reflects how the Madeirans are regarded by those they look after so well, year after year."
"Louise Roddon’s article ("Madeira picks up the pieces", March 13) provided an excellent account of the hard work put in by the islanders to restore Funchal and its outlying towns and areas following the events of February 20. She captured their feelings of concern and sadness for their fellow islanders who had died or had been made homeless. Their other concern was that they hoped their regular visitors from many other countries would not be dissuaded from coming to Madeira by pictures beamed around the world in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy.
The article mentions the money and clothing donated by the islanders, but perhaps misses the point that those of us who were visiting at the time and arrived subsequently were also invited to similarly contribute. I am told that they did so in large numbers, which reflects how the Madeirans are regarded by those they look after so well, year after year.": ARTICLE
Photo : Monachus schauinslandi (Hawaiian Monk Seal) underwater at Five Fathom Pinnacle, Hawaii.
Madeira’s Monk Seals & Hawaii’s Monk Seals – Monk seals are a critically endangered species worldwide. Historically, there were three species of monk seals:
The Mediterranean monk seal found in the western Mediterranean Sea (primarily off the coasts of Greece and Turkey) and in the eastern Atlantic Ocean (off the coast of Africa and on the island of Madeira), and has a population of about 500.
The Hawaiian monk seal, which is found in the Northwest and Main Hawaiian Islands and has a population of about 1,100. The Caribbean monk seal was found in the Caribbean Sea but is now extinct after centuries of human exploitation and hunting.
Rare Hawaiian monk seal lands at UCSC’s Long Marine Lab: Scientists hope to learn secrets to save critically endangered species.
Ho’ailona, a gregarious male monk seal born in May 2008 who suffers from cataracts, was abandoned by his mother a few days after birth. He was rescued from a beach on the island of Kauai and nursed to health by scientists from the National Marine Fisheries Service for a few months before being released back to the wild on Molokai.
The dire status of the two existing monk seal populations has necessitated international conservation initiatives. NOAA scientists and managers are working with experts around the world to help recover monk seals, and the information gained from treating and monitoring Ho’ailona’s development will help future conservation efforts for the species. LINK Elaine (East) also sent this one in … thanks.
Film of visit by The President of the European Commission after 20th of February storm
Official video of the visit by The President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso to Madeira in March 2010 to assess personally the damages caused by the storm that affected the island on 20th of February, 2010.
The President expressed his condolences to the regional government and to the families of the victims. He reiterated the readiness of the European Commission to assist the national and regional authorities, namely through the use of the European Solidarity Fund. Furthermore, the President was deeply impressed by the effort of reconstruction in this short period of time, which is already showing results, thus enabling this region to remain one of the excellent tourist destinations of Europe. Link to video
Great plug for Madeira Durao, lets hope a few million people watched the interview. Did anyone see him when he was speaking to president Jardim in Funchal? He asked Jardim what was going to happen with all the inert (sand, rock etc.) material piled up from the clean up after the storm. Jardim was lost for words, stuttered, and finally spat out that it hadn’t been decided yet. And there was me thinking it might be sold off for construction, putting a bit more dosh into the pockets of those with stakes in the construction industry.
Many thanks for this from Selina : In yesterday’s Diário newspaper an article about the funds for replacing the damaged cars in the storm. Information support for people who lost their cars in the recent storms. The controller Automotive Trade Association and Industry Funchal says there is demand for vehicles by people who have lost their cars in time, but not materialized because the deal pending legislation on the support announced. "We have a notion that 500 cars were actually lost in the rivers in flood, the land, the roads, but we have a forecast of more than 500 cars were in garages and were damaged, said Alfredo Mendonça. The Madeira executive announced last week that people with cars which were completely destroyed in the storm of February 20 can receive a grant of Euros and a deduction for three thousand Euros car tax on the purchase of a new one. This was discussed at a meeting of the executive, and has been reported that there is a line of credit in the CGD for the procurement of car under these circumstances. To qualify for this help, the owner must demonstrate that the recovery of the car is impossible and that the disaster was the direct cause of their destruction. Alfredo Mendonça says that there is "a demand for people to hire, but do not want to go another step because they do not know how they will handle" this support. "We are all waiting to get that law without which one can not do anything," he says. "It was said that there was a support of four thousand, but how are you going to handle this situation, and how will it be passed on to customers, how the participation will come to the brand owners do not know why there have been no public information," stresses.
Many thanks to Elaine once again for yesterday’s top news stories :
DIÁRIO 19/03/2010
FRONT PAGE NEWS
Houses on a knife-edge. Several houses at the top of Fundoa in Monte are at risk and families can only visit during the day. Technicians from the IHM have visited but the families have not yet heard from the council when it will be safe to return. Many families want to return and not be rehoused. The rains have damaged the supporting walls and the foundations are visible. The houses originally had land in front of them but this has been gradually eroded away until they now overlook an abyss. The Regional Government had been asked to consolidate the escarpment by the Socipan bakery, which was damaged by a landslide. The technicians do not know if the houses can be saved. Teams have been prioritising those temporarily staying with relatives and in shelters, determining if their houses were overcrowded and if they need relocating. In Funchal, there are homes and families in areas at risk with an uncertain future.
MADEIRA
Our Lady of Fatima returns to Funchal. At 15.00 on Sunday March 21st, the Pilgrim Image will leave the Church of São Jorge, accompanied by bikers on the journey to Funchal. Between March 21st and April 11th, the time devoted to Easter celebrations, the circuit around the parishes is suspended. From April 11th to May 12th, Machico and Santa Cruz will receive the image of Nossa Senhora de Fátima.
In Venezuela, April 25th will be transformed to Day of Madeira. In Venezuela, the ‘April Revolution’ this year will be associated with Madeira. The day the Portuguese remember the Carnation Revolution will be for fundraising activities. All the money raised will go into a single account and transferred directly to the Regional Government of Madeira. This is a curious date given the bad coexistence of Alberto Jardim with designated ‘ideals of the April Revolution’.
Homeless family refuse a house. A family of seven, victims of the storm of February 20th, refused resettlement in a house supplied by the IHM. The family visited the house in the Calçada do Pico and complained it was dirty and without furniture. They returned to the Youth Hostel where they had been temporarily accommodated but have lost the right of staying there for free, having to pay the normal fee of 11 Euros per night. The IHM cannot understand their decision, saying the T4 is excellent and is much better than what they had. Caritas said they had a lorry of furniture and equipment for the family and waited for an hour but they never materialised at the house. The family have now lost the right to be rehoused. The photo shows the old house in Vasco Gil where they cannot return to as it is at risk.
Many of the flood losses are yet to be declared. Many of those whose assets were destroyed or damaged a month ago, including houses and cars, have not officially declared them. For vehicles, the owners are waiting for the law to be published that will set out the rules on compensation. The Regional Government has stated it will subsidize the cost of a new car by 1,000 Euros and allow a 3,000 Euros tax deduction. The two pre-conditions are that the car is irrecoverable and that the destruction was due to the disaster. Owners need to prove the destruction of the car through statements from the councils or police with, wherever possible, photographic evidence. For property damage, owners can contact the IHM, town halls or community development organizations. At present, the Recovery Program of Degraded Property (PRID) is for houses requiring reconstruction. Since the end of December, the Regional Directorate of Agriculture has received declarations of crop damage resulting from the harsh winter. The network for the receipt of declarations of damage has been extended after the storm of February 20th.
ECONOMY
New regional cruise ship. The Grand Voyager will begin on April 30th a series of 19 seven night regional cruises, allowing embarking/disembarking at Funchal. The Carnival group has confirmed the dates, prices starting at 500 Euros per person and sold through the agent, Blandy. The Grand Voyager will call at Vigo, Lagos, Casablanca, Arrecife, Las Palmas and Funchal. Dates when the ship calls at Funchal are: May 7, 14, 21; Thursdays in June – 3, 10, 17, 24; July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; August 5, 12, 19, 26 and September 2, 9. The ship was built in Germany in 2000 and is registered in Madeira, which is why Portuguese is the official language on board. It measures 180.7 metres long, 25.6 metres wide and can carry 922 passengers and 360 crew members. This ship first called at Funchal on the 22nd April 2001 under the name Olympic Voyager.
POLITICS
Joint Committee to complete the evaluation within a month. João Cunha e Silva (the vice-president of the Regional Government and a member of the Joint Committee) wants the evaluation of the damage and examination of means of financing the reconstruction of Madeira to be completed within a month. All committee members visited the worst affected areas of Ribeira Brava yesterday morning and Câmara de Lobos in the afternoon. Today they go to the high zones of Funchal and then move on to the lower zone. Cunha e Silva acknowledged that the extensive damage required a lot of work, and more funding than available through the EU Solidarity Fund as the damage goes beyond the initial estimate of the Regional Government. He warned that the EU Solidarity Fund is not as substantial as people think and falls far short of expectations, so other sources of funding will need to be creatively used. Committee members emphasised the spirit of full cooperation between the two governments and said that the great effort and work the Madeirans have already done is "moving".
Building materials from the Continent for the reconstruction effort. Various councils and parish councils on the Continent have offered to send building materials to assist the rebuilding of Funchal. A shipping company will transport them for free. Via the council, BES bank distributed 55,000 Euros to commercial establishments from its solidarity fund. The council gave 2,500 Euros cheques to each trader to help clean and recuperate losses. The council has hired two companies to survey the houses affected by storm damage over the next two weeks. Reconstruction will depend on their recommendations, guided by financial experts and local development associations. 14 contracts have been issued by the council for areas requiring immediate work.
PS criticize structures on the beach. Jacinto Serrão, the leader of the Socialist Party will request a parliamentary hearing so the Regional Government, Porto Santo Council and maritime authorities can clarify aspects of the constructions that are destroying the beach of Porto Santo. The PS went to Porto Santo to see the walls and infrastructure that are being built on the beach. They concluded these accumulate errors and cause negligence, and call into question the sustainability of the beach which is a candidate for the Seven Wonders of Portugal. The structures are destroying the beach just to satisfy the particular interests of some. The socialists want to know the reasons for these constructions and the type of study undertaken before licensing. The economy of the island cannot be destroyed in this way, because of the desire of some who want to keep their houses on the dunes.
UPDATE
State received almost 200,000 Euros IVA from solidarity campaigns. The IVA was collected by the State from the premium rate promoted by TMN, PT and Sonaecom. The Ministry of Finance received 198,120 Euros in IVA from calls and sms messages of solidarity. It followed the law fully and retained this money. From three solidarity campaigns, a total of 991,170 Euros has been donated to Madeira. A campaign by TMN and PT permitted a phone call or sms message to be sent where the person contributed 0.60 Euros to Caritas Diocesana do Funchal. This campaign was adhered to by 61,000 people and raised 36,600 Euros. PT and SIC through the ‘Uma flor pela Madeira’ project raised 590,000 Euros. ‘Portugal Solidário – Ajuda a Madeira’ in conjunction with the Media Capital group collected 364,570 Euros for Caritas.
Today’s news headlines from the front page of the Diário de Notícias :
Líbano [José] Martins, murder suspect, in the end was not arrested. The Diário confirmed with the Brazilian government the notable error of the Portuguese authorities. Back again to the story of the gang leader, allegedly responsible for the kidnap and murder of an elderly businessman from Porto Santo.
Today’s main news headline : Without money in sight. Today marks one month since the tragedy came and the reconstruction goes ahead, even without knowing when any money will come. True it is that the hopes rest with Lisbon (€500 million) and not with the European Union (€45 million). All the following headlines are related to the same story (except the sports headline). Today the Diário has a special edition to illustrate the events of the last month.
Political parties intensify criticism and demand technical studies.
Anadia [shopping centre, Funchal] reopens in May, remodelled.
List of the MP deflates rumours, pointing to the localities from where all of the 43 dead were removed.
Rain unleashes stress and fear.
Media coverage took the news of the storm to millions around the world.
President of Naval [football club] came to offer €55 thousand; the big clubs haven’t fulfilled their promises.
The signs of the storm – 28 days have passed from when the chaos started on the island. The reestablishment of the relationship between the central and regional governments, a wave of solidarity without precedent, and the capacity of the Madeirans to rebuild, are the signs of the storm that ravaged Madeira one month ago. The island has lived in exactly 28 days, also one Saturday, one of the worst moments in its history after being devastated by bad weather that caused 43 deaths, 8 missing, 120 injured, 600 homeless and caused huge material damage. On the day of 20th February, the middle of the morning, after a rainy night, the population was surprised by strong torrents of mud flooding Funchal, dragging huge rocks and debris that caused chaos in the Madeira capital. The situation stretched to other locations on the island, mainly on the west side, in the regions of Ribeira Brava and Ponta do Sol. The immense torrents of water dragged away everything they found in their paths, people, cars, houses, streets, bridges, communications and electricity posts and farming land, leaving a vast trail of destruction.
Funchal became impassable, the communication networks started to collapse and the motorway [via rápida] was closed. The news started coming in with images giving an account of Madeira suffering a great natural catastrophe, and a climate of despair set-in as fruitless attempts were made to contact relatives and friends by mobile phone.
Landslides, isolated populations, collapsing houses, vehicles and people swept away by the torrents, [underground] car parks filled with water, and hundreds of people made homeless placed in hosting centres were the stories that filled the news. In a demonstration of solidarity in order to be with the Madeirans, on that day, the prime minister of Portugal came to Madeira to observe the damage and announce the first measures of support, marking a new era in the relationship between José Sócrates and Alberto João Jardim. The president of the Madeiran government said that he needed the "axes and [gardening] tools to rebuild the island" and Sócrates guaranteed total solidarity from the State to the region. There followed visits by the President of the republic, Cavaco Silva, from various other ministers, from the European Commission for regional development, and from the president of the European Commission, Durão Barroso.
After the the initial impact, reconstruction had become the watchword, a task that involved all the community in re-establishing normality, including the army that transported to Madeira a bridge to resolve the isolation of Fajã da Ribeira, in Ribeira Brava, that was familiar to all who visit the island. Three days later, some traders reopened their businesses and measures of support started to be announced, including the formation of a joint commission from the Government of the Republic and Madeira, that is already working out in the field to determine the investments needed for the reestablishment of normal life.
Some works that took place in Funchal, Ponta do Sol and Ribeira [Brava ?] will be the memories that will remain of that fateful day, especially for those that lost somebody in the storm.
The main sports headline today : [Vítor] Sá takes the leadership in the Porto Santo Rally – The start of the competition was marked by the withdrawal of Filipe Freitas.
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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Crack could mean collapse. A fissure opened in a wall that supports land near the Business Park in Garachico in the parish of Estreito de Câmara de Lobos. The February rains have deepened the fissure and there could be subsidence of earth, trees and rocks if there are more episodes of intense rain. A landslide caused some damage a few days ago. The situation is being monitored by the council, Madeira Business Park and the Regional Secretariat for Social Infrastructure.
Choupana Hills Resort leads the nominations for the World Travel Awards. The WTA are the ‘oscars’ of tourism according to The Wall Street Journal. The Choupana Hills Resort leads the Portuguese nominations as it is a candidate in five categories and The Vine and Tivoli Madeira have three nominations. There are in total about 5,000 entries (airlines, tour operators, car rental firms, destinations and new hotels) from 162 countries. There are several Portuguese nominations. TAP is one of 10 airline candidates. Lisbon is nominated in four categories – Best Destination, Best Destination for City Breaks, Best Cruise Destination and Best Cruise Port. Several luxury hotels in the Algarve and some hotels in Madeira are also candidates.
£70,000 to date from Jersey Appeal for Madeira disaster. “CUSTOMERS and staff at one of the Channel Islands’ biggest retailers have dug deep and raised nearly £19,000 for the Jersey Side by Side appeal for Madeira.
RTP, Sonae and Mota Engil rehabilitate the Serra d’Água. Those responsible for the RTP and Grupo Sonae solidarity campaign will meet tomorrow with the Governing Board of the Investimentos Habitacionais da Madeira (IHM), in order to determine which applicants should receive the donations. The campaign Together for Madeira (‘Juntos pela Madeira’) has raised 800,000 Euros already and the promoters have donated 1.5 million Euros, enough to build a small housing complex. Over one million phone calls were made in response to the RTP campaign, and the Sonae Group challenged thousands of Portuguese to round up their till receipts in Modelo, Worten and other stores in the group, a campaign that will continue until the 18th April. RTP is preparing a mega-program to be broadcasted on Sunday between 15.45 and 19.00 hours, also helping to promote the 7 Wonders of Portugal competition, in which the beach at Porto Santo and the Laurisilva forest are 2 of the 21 candidates. RTP is preparing a fundraising concert with one of the top Portuguese musicians. It will be transmitting the Flower Festival Parade and the program is to be dedicated to Madeira in solidarity with the reconstruction effort. It will include images of the cleaned baixa (lower) area of Funchal, without forgetting of course the strickened area of Serra d’Água. In the latter area, 25/26 houses need to be rebuilt, for which Mota Engil guarantees 1.2 million Euros on top of the donated 1.5 million Euros by the Sonae Group and RTP. A Portuguese company is offering 25 Teka kitchens, Tintas Dyrup is giving 25,000 litres of paint and Indutora will install the electrical wiring in the new houses. The company Paços de Ferreira is donating furniture. Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade Lusíada and the architect José Paradela are offering their services for free. Donations are deposited in a fund specially created by the Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa.
Beach walls are provisional. Santos Costa, the Regional Director for Social Infrastructure, replies to yesterday’s report about walls built in the middle of the beach of Porto Santo. He explained that the walls are only provisional, built to prevent damage by the abnormally violent storms that occurred from last November to February 20th. The photo shows the threat that the government is attempting to alleviate and the technicians will be able to decide on a technically and environmentally desirable solution when the sea is calmer.
Court of Auditors stop work by the council. The Court of Auditors has stopped a road being built in Camacha by Santa Cruz Council. The road was to link the Caminho Municipal da Portela, by the old church of Camacha, to Mato Grosso. The work was financed by both the Regional Government and Santa Cruz Council but the contract did not stipulate details of the co-payments. In 2005, the Tribunal could not obtain assurances that the council could honour their financial commitment and the work was prohibited. The municipality wanted to build a bridge linking this road to Mato Grosso, where the population is of a significant size. They began to build the bridge then were ordered to stop by the Court of Auditors. During the last storm, retaining walls were washed away and earth deposited inside the bridge, threatening the flow of the ribeiro Pedro Lourenço and houses downstream. A date for the completion of the bridge depends on an agreement being made.
Today’s news headlines from the front page of the Diário de Notícias : 
Saved from the rubble after almost 30 days. A dog was rescued alive yesterday in São Gonçalo during cleaning of the site. A unique situation for those who witnessed it. Yesterday morning, a group of employees of a company that specializes in building found a dog trapped beneath the debris resulting from the tragedy of the 20th of February during a cleanup operation in the area of São Gonçalo,. Nearly a month after the storm, to everyone’s surprise, the animal was healthy, but with its hind legs, preventing it escaping and fleeing the scene. The black cocker spaniel was helped by another dog, which faithfully kept him company. According to the DIÁRIO, the animal was freed by firefighters and taken to the Society for the Protection of Domestic Animals (SPAD), while the dog which had protected its friend ran behind the car. "It was a shame not to bring those two together, because they seemed to be great friends," said one worker on site. As the animal appeared to have been well looked after, there is every reason to believe that it has an owner and that he was caught by the flood. The dog was found yesterday morning around 10 o’clock, when a group of workers took over the clean-up operation by Palheiro Golf in São Gonçalo. After the initial cleaning, the workers returned yesterday to the site to continue the work. The DIÁRIO also tried to establish with SPAD the state of the animal, but was refused any access to information by the management. 
Cherimoyas. Some consider the cherimoya one of the most delicious fruits available, but its commercial production is limited by a short growing season and shelf life. The cherimoya is native to the valleys of Ecuador, Colombia, and Bolivia, spreading to Chile and Brazil during ancient times. The United States Department of Agriculture imported cherimoya seeds from the Madeira Islands in 1907. 
Stopped work obstructs stream. Residents living in the vicinity of the Ribeiro do Moreno in Santa Cruz are worried by debris from the floods of February 20th blocking the water course. The stream runs beneath the airport and is obstructed between the bridge linking Rua de São Sebastião to the placa do aeroporto (?). Flooding closed the Rua de São Sebastião and Rua de Santa Catarina for three days. The cause of the blockage is a seven year old concrete and iron remnant from when a petrol filling station began to be constructed. The construction was stopped when there was a dispute over inheritance of the land. The injunction has not been lifted and the structure still stands in the stream. The case is under review.
Compensation rises to 133 million Euros. The Portuguese Association of Insurers estimates the amount of compensation claimed after the storm of February 20th will reach 150 million Euros. Already, 1,532 claims have been recorded. Originally, they estimated a loss of 60 million Euros. This is the worst event in the history of Portuguese insurance.
More than two hundred put to work in zones affected by the storm. The exercise repeats at the month end. Two hundred and forty-two people will be put to work in local institutions and charities in the areas most affected by the storms of 20th February. The program of recruitment of workers was set up by the Government, and is aimed at the unemployed receiving unemployment benefits. The deadline for applications ended on Monday, but at the end of the month the recruitment drive will be reopened for another wave of applications. The placement program for unemployed does not have any cost to local authorities or to social institutions that provide support to victims of the storm. Workers continue to receive unemployment benefits increased by 25% of the regional minimum wages, in addition to allowances for transportation. 
