Madeira News Blog » storm damage

Madeira on the mend ; Monk Seals endangered ; Durao Barroso visit video

admin — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

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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The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

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Spending cuts to reduce government deficit ; Pingo Doce owner pessimistic on future

admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Becky … ‘Cruise ship silhouettes’

From vines to wines … Pete

I think you requested ‘meat on the bone’ more detail of the austerity budget for citizens / residents. Well, this is a good starting point. I am sure more detail, guidance will be on its way from the Government. Paul.

PORTUGAL – STABILITY AND GROWTH PROGRAMME 2010-2013

Memo from the Ministry of Finance and Public Administration – 08 March 2010.

The memo includes:

-Reduction of the General Government deficit and correction of the public debt growth by 2013

-The compensation of employees expenditure will be reduced to 10% of GDP in 2013, through a decrease of at least 100 million Euros per year of the overall amount of this expenditure. This goal will be achieved through:

• the reinforced implementation of the “at least two out for one in” rule;

• a policy of strong wage constraints

Social benefits will be reduced from 21.9% of GDP in 2009 to 21.4% of GDP in 2013.

Intermediate consumption expenditure

• Definition of outsourcing expenditure ceilings;

• Definition of a ceiling for expenditure on military equipment, through

40% reduction in the amount defined in the LPM (Military Funding Programme); not establishing any new commitments for military equipment purchasing.

• Reduction and rationalisation of current operating expenditure based, in particular, on the streamlining of public procurement and shared services processes. Link to full memo

Two from Elaine (East) : Interesting Festa da Flor poster. HERE

Helicopter flight anyone? HERE

From Tom : Expresso newspaper 6 of March Economy section – interview with one of the richest men of Portugal.

Alexandre Soares Dos Santos – owner of Pingo Doce stores all around Globe including Poland which he said is the Motor and tiger of arising Markets in Europe. He is there with 600 stores named Biedronka and he is going to open next 800. 60% of net profit of Grupo Jeronimo Martins, comes from Poland’s business. He said Russia and Ukraine are too corrupted to even think for him to invest.

On the home political front he said : The Prime-minister does not have psychological conditions to govern Portugal. Alexandre Soares fears an aggravation of the crisis with the increase of the unemployment and laments the situation. In a few months here (in Portugal) there will be no government." Very strong statement of the Man who knows.

Thanks a lot Paul, Elaine, Tom and Pete for the above links and articles.

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

DIÁRIO 18/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

CDS want an investigation into the tragedy. Despite challenges by the opposition parties, the PSD has refused to establish a committee of inquiry into the tragedy of February 20th. The CDS-PP have formalized the request which requires 10 signatures from the opposition. The committee would assess responsibilities in the tragedy, especially licensing and building in areas of risk. The CDS think it is now time to take stock of the causes and consequences of the tragedy, especially to prevent the repetition of various situations. The main causes were: lack of planning and land management, improper occupation of land, construction on the banks and over the beds of streams and uncleared streams. The effects of the storms were exacerbated by insufficient afforestation of slopes and the dumping of earth and debris into waterways. The CDS propose immediate support to small businesses and families affected by the storms, cleaning streams and a review of the Municipal Master Plans and the preparation of plans for the coastline.

Taiwan wants to give money to Madeira but does not know whom to send it to. The solidarity has caused a diplomatic embarrassment as there is no representation of Taiwan in Portugal. The Portuguese Government does not want to anger China and does not want to offend Taiwan and refuse aid. If Taiwan gave money directly to Madeira, it would assume that these two regions are of similar status. (China considers Taiwan part of Chinese territory and not an independent state). The solution appears to be for the cheque to be given directly to Madeiran deputies in the Assembly of the Republic and then the funds distributed to the regional institutions.

MADEIRA

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.

ECONOMY

Port news. The container ship BBC Scotland starts today replacing the Apollo on the Lisbon-Madeira route. The ship was built in China in 2002 and belongs to the shipowner Briese Schiffahrt. The ship is 100.58 metres long, 16.6 metres wide and has a draft of 6.4 metres. It has a gross tonnage of 4,090 tonnes and can carry 390 20-foot containers. Top speed is 15 knots, it requires a 15-strong crew and navigates under the British flag. The Lobo Marinho will sail two extra trips between Funchal and Porto Santo this weekend to increase availability for the ‘XIV Rally Porto Santo Line’. The extra trips are on Friday and Sunday as the rally takes place on the 19 – 20 March. — Is gross tonnage high for a ship with a volume of 10,685 cubic metres? (Diario original – arqueação bruta de 4.090 toneladas).

Madeira is selling well for Easter. Cape Verde and Disney in Paris are popular Easter holiday packages sold to the Portuguese public. There has a been slightly higher demand for Easter holiday tourism than in 2009. Both the Azores and Madeira are selling well. For long-haul, the Caribbean and Brazil remain the most sought after destinations. Tunisia and Egypt are also popular.

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.

UPDATE

Martins arrested in Brazil. Líbano Martins is detained in Brazil for the suspected abduction and homicide of the Porto Santo businessman Guilherme Alves. Martins was detained on January 22nd and is in custody awaiting an extradition process. The alleged three co-perpetrators of the crime carried out in July 2009 were arrested a few days after it was committed.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

ECONOMY

Daily flight to Ponta Delgada. The first SATA flight between Funchal and Ponta Delgada using the new Bombardier Q400 aircraft will be on Saturday. There will be initially two flights per week increasing to a daily flight in July and August. These aircraft have half the capacity of the current Airbus A320 but have lower costs, especially in fuel consumption. SATA hope to increase passenger numbers travelling between Madeira and the Canary Islands to the Azores and on the profitable North America routes. They also hope to transport more tourists on the Ponta Delgada / Funchal / Faro / Ponta Delgada link.

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

Father’s day – Facing the new challenges. The family of today, has a mother and father of equal competencies. Both need to be alert to modern dangers.

Today’s main news headline : Imprisonment of Martins in doubt – The Justice Police, quoting a note from the Minister for External Relations for Brazil, revealed the capture and detention of the alleged leader of the gang that kidnapped and killed Guilherme Alves. But the Federal Police of Baía denied to the Diário the imprisonment of Martins, saying that on the 22nd January he was just allowed extradition request [?]. The judiciary says that it is going to clarify the situation. There are now uncertainties about the arrest of José Martins, alleged gang leader in the kidnap and murder of the elderly Porto Santo businessman last year. The Brazilian Court has postponed the extradition order, and has not even confirmed the arrest. The Portuguese police, via Interpol, had applied for Martins to be extradited, and it seemed that had been accepted. What a mess … makings of an international incident here methinks if Martins end up not being extradited, or was not arrested in the first place!

Unemployment bordering on fifteen thousand – Official data says that 14,984 are looking for work, and that constitutes an increase of 38.9% in a year. Only the Algarve is worse. In the Azores there is a clear downward trend. That’s the official version of events, so now as usual we just await the statement of Uncle Bertie, president of Madeira and the Social Democrat party, with their versions of the numbers of unemployed, predicted by Der this time to be between just 17 and 22 people.

Houses on ‘a knifes edge’ – In the high zone of Fundoa, there are houses in danger of imminent collapse. Residents, who have arranged safer lodgings, only go there during the day. Until now nobody [authority] has appeared to say what will happen in the future. I think this photo is up around Monte, and I saw a similar situation a couple of weeks ago around Boa Morte, many kilometres from Funchal, and it was even a bit scary driving past it. Still many places unvisited by the authorities it seems. This small island, at times, seems a lot bigger than many judge it to be.

The main sports headline today : Regional [Rally] starts today on Porto Santo – There are several candidates for the title. The Diário heard the plans of the 27 contestants. Special rally edition of the Diário.

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.

Just announced, after the draw for the next round of the Europe League, that Benfica have drawn Liverpool, the first leg being in Lisbon. Liverpool won’t relish that after the last time they played Benfica in the Champions League. I think it was the year after Liverpool won it, that Benfica played pretty badly, but still managed to beat Liverpool home and away. I wait to be corrected …

"I nearly got caught out by a bogus email from Facebook the other day so beware. It is entitled something along the lines of "Facebook password reset confirmation customer support" and can do a lot of damage to your PC and steal your passwords". Jane. Thanks Jane, I got one too today, but luckily I saw your email first. Here the article about it on YAHOO

Thanks to Paul : Madeira and parts of the Continent on YELLOW alert today Friday: strong winds

Institute of Meteorology site: HERE Expresso: HERE

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.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Jersey appeal raises €70k for Madeira ; Private firms to Rebuild in Serra de Agua

admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Tom … Monte wicker basket ride

Thanks to Pete for sending in this really interesting snippet : "A huge hydro-electric power plant 250 kms south-east of Lisbon in Portugal uses Alstom technology to combine and store wind and hydro energies. This plant has a capacity of 260 megawatts and supplies energy to 175,000 households. The reduction in CO2 emissions is the equivalent to removing 185,000 cars from the road". VIDEO

And thanks to Paul for these two snippets :

£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.

Around £70,000 has been raised by the appeal so far after flash floods devastated the Portuguese island almost a month ago, killing 42 people and leaving around 600 homeless. A massive £18,980 of the appeal total has been raised by Sandpiper CI, the company that owns the M&S franchise in Jersey, along with Safeway and Checkers, in just one week. The total, which was raised in both Jersey and Guernsey stores, includes £1,000 from Sandpiper’s management, while the rest came from fundraising events among staff and customer collections.”

Have you seen the Large White Butterfly? “The commission cited the Large White Butterfly from the Portuguese Atlantic island of Madeira, which has not been spotted for at least 20 years.” READ MORE I can’t imagine who thought up the name for it? Der

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

DIÁRIO 17/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

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.

Joint Committee meets in the region over the next two days. The Joint Committee created by José Sócrates to assess the amount of damage and the best use of funding for the reconstruction work after the storm on February 20th, meets for the first time tomorrow. Representatives from the Government of the Republic arrive tomorrow in Madeira for two days to look at the destruction of houses, roads and other public infrastructure that occurred in the worst affected areas. The committee will not monitor the regional authorities. The members will rigorously assess the help needed, cost it and then formulate a framework of cooperation between the State and Regional Governments through the Special Law of Regional Finances. The committee will also prioritise the work and what needs to be done later.

MADEIRA

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.

Humanitarian problems in Funchal. The Report of the USA about Human Rights in 2009 revealed that Portugal and the archipelagos have humanitarian problems, although there have been improvements in prison overcrowding. With regard to Funchal, the report highlighted a young offender imprisoned for eight months with convicted adults. This was despite a special prison (prison-school) in Leiria for young offenders between the ages of 16 and 21 years old.

Excessive police force. A car was badly parked in a prohibited area while the driver went into a shop. On returning, he found a a police officer was fining him and he exchanged ‘bitter’ words with the officer who then asked for reinforcements. Two police motorbikes and two patrol cars responded using sirens and the unresisting man was forced out of his car, searched and arrested. This was watched by angry witnesses, an elderly woman in the front seat and accompanied by screams from a child of approximately nine years old in the back of the car. The two passengers were also taken to the police station. The Regional Command of the Police has not yet responded to the questions of the DIÁRIO.

ECONOMY

Madeira – Paris / Orly from 58 Euros. The airline transavia.com starts the promotion today for the new routes between Funchal and Nantes. The first flights begin at the end of March and the French low-cost carrier offers a discounted price for journeys made between 1 April and 15 July. Travel between Porto and Funchal is from 38 Euros in both directions. For Nantes via Porto, flights start at 58 Euros one-way. The all-inclusive web reserve system is totally transparent. The promotional campaign includes the transport of 20 kg luggage in the hold and 5 kg in the cabin.

POLITICS

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.

UPDATES

British Embassy supports Centro Porta Amiga do Funchal. The British Embassy in Lisbon has decided to help the Centro Porta Amiga do Funchal after the disaster of February 20th. Financial assistance will be raised through the Sport Relief Mile event, organized by a British charity each year. The race takes place on the 20th March, starting at the promenade of Oeiras at 10.30 am and finishes at the beach of Santo Amaro. If interested in making a donation, contact the Embassy by phoning 213924035 or e-mailing kate.christie@fco.gov.uk

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

CULTURE

Show raises over 23,000 Euros. João Carlos Abreu, President of Criamar, the charity for the Social Development of Children and Young People, handed over 23,803.65 Euros to the Association of Development of Ribeira Brava. This will go towards the reconstruction of houses damaged on the 20th February. The money was raised by performances in Lisbon by Filipe La Féria and by "Juntos Renasceremos" (Together Reborn) in Funchal.

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

Valter puts in the drawer [postpones] the library of Farinha – It took 5 months and a change of presidents in Porto Moniz in order that the project might cease to be a priority.

Contest of the pharmacies drops a clanger – Opinion of the ANF hinders the process. Competitors protest.

Today’s main news headline : MP requires efficiency in the Madeiran Inland Revenue – The coordinator of services of the Public Ministry in the region devastates the leadership of Fiscal Affairs. The annual report reveals there is late notification in the establishment of inquiries, ‘investigation’ that is not worthy of the name, "almost total ineffectiveness" in fighting tax crimes. Ho, ho, ho, I wondered when someone would notice. Great people, and very helpful in my tax office, but efficiency doesn’t ooze in the IRS of Madeira. Whoever this guy is he will have to change a complete culture of local standards, rules, and behaviours. If successful, that would cause some considerable hardship in the Madeiran cash community. Can’t say anymore than that for fear of reprisals.

Taiwan send money through the deputies – Storm causes diplomatic embarrassment.

Christian democrat Party, CDS, asks for a commission of enquiry, CDU shows sites in need of recuperation.

Increased number ‘signed on’ in the Employment Centre – Madeira registers the second highest increase in Portugal. The numbers increased throughout the country, except in the Azores. Nationwide, there was an increase of 19.6% comparing the last two Februaries, and a 0.2% rise on January 2010. From January to February this year, the number of those ‘signed on’ on Madeira increased by 3.8%.

The main sports / football headline today : Jardim’s plan for the European season is at risk – The famous meeting in preparation for a triumphant season for Marítimo did not result in a dynamic winner.

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 Elaine (West) for this heart-tingling story :

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.

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.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Santa Cruz – after the storm ; Taking advantage of a tragedy ; Drug investigations up 42%

admin — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Pete … Storm damaged swimming pool area behind the Forte de São Tiago.

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. ARTICLE Thanks Elaine, looks like a Anona to me, and if so is one of my favourite fruits and just coming into season now I think, and quite cheap too.

German submarine U-68 near sunk near Madeira Island … Pete ARTICLE Thanks Pete

Jon kindly sent in a write up on progress in the clean up and repairs needed in Santa Cruz. Hover over a photo for a brief description, click on a photo for full size. Many thanks Jon …

23 Days After … "Partly in response to the (removed) query about the Vila Gale Hotel in Santa Cruz the other day but mainly as a small follow on to your report, I attach some photos of our local area, taken over the weekend and today. All our mains services are fully restored but clean up ongoing. All roads passable but some still without "edge" walls and undermined or with tarmac missing in parts and potholes. The landscape and forest area around and above us is deeply scarred with the water run off channels, trees and rock debris etc. – the face of the land changed forever. All local houses O.K. but I don’t know about those in the higher areas of Gaula and Santa Cruz. Ribeira bridges repaired in Santa Cruz and promenade now fully open but walk with care; damaged walkways, loose rocks and unstable cliff face ….. Hotel Gale seems to be operating normally although the public pebble beach that fronts it is not, somewhat bashed. All cafes/bars and restaurants fully up and running in Santa Cruz (town) itself and some tourists out and about spending money….the daily fruit/veg/fish/flower market is also open as normal and is as quaint as ever!"

Marítimo lost their league game last night at Paços de Ferreira 1 – 0, following on from Sunday night when Nacional were defeated at home by Benfica, again by a single goal.

If anyone should see a summary of the government budget cuts and changes, please let me know. So far over the last few days changes to taxes (increases for high earners), I have heard of restraints in public services, including pay restrictions for public service workers, a cut in unemployment benefit (new ceiling imposed), and also reductions in allowable tax expenses (deductions for 2010) have been announced. It would be useful for many to have a summary. Thanks.

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

DIÁRIO 15/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Criminal activity in 2009. Last year, Public Ministry investigations were for: 3,875 crimes against property, 1,264 against inheritance, 301 against the state and 80 unpaid cheques. Highlighted in the figures was the 42.5% increase in drug trafficking (285). There were the highest number of cases of domestic violence ever (1,025). Other prosecutions were: 597 for driving without authorization, under the influence of alcohol or other traffic offences, 46 charges of corruption, 33 cases of coercion and resisting arrest, 71 against sexual freedom and empowerment of children, 31 cases of violence against children and 6 cases of violence against the elderly. In the past 8 years, 11 men and 1 woman have been arrested for rape. Half were in their 20s and the two youngest were 17 years of age. More than half of the victims were aged between 40 and 65, and eight of the crimes were committed in the residence of the victim.

Two families tried to take advantage of the storm. Two families from a social housing complex in Santo Amaro in Santo António attempted to take advantage of the bad weather of February 20th to get a better house from IHM. The eight people involved spent one night at RG3 but were detected immediately as false applicants.

MADEIRA

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.

‘Clean Portugal’ (‘Limpar Portugal’) has 121 volunteers in Madeira. The volunteers will try to clean the forests in one day – next Saturday. This is a nationwide campaign based on an initial event in Estonia in 2008. The event coincides with the Day of the Forest. So far, they have no offers of help from residents in São Vicente and Porto Moniz. Instead, the movement has volunteers from Funchal to Ribeira Brava and from Machico to Porto Santo. Posters advertising the ‘L’ day have the slogan: ‘We’ll do it. And you? You’ll stay at home’. To adhere: CLICK HERE

Boy injured in explosion. A nine-year old boy was injured on Saturday afternoon after finding a ‘bottle bomb’ while playing at his home in Lombo dos Aguiares in Santo António. This exploded in his hand and he has had minor surgery for hand injuries and facial burns. He will require plastic surgery later on.

Wettest winter since 1865. December – February 2009 / 10 was the wettest season since records began in 1865. The amount of rainfall was three times the normal rate between 1971 – 2000. During February, Funchal was the wettest area and had seven times the average amount of rain. This was also the most since 1865. Porto Santo had the third wettest winter since records began in 1940.

ECONOMY

Porto Santo Line solidarity with victims. Porto Santo Line will donate 50,000 Euros to two charities. The company’s revenue from ticket sales for last weekend’s six trips between Funchal and Port Santo is to be donated to the victims of the storm of February 20th. Previously, the firm had promised to make the donation up to the sum of 50,000 Euros, so they had to add a few thousand Euros. The ferry transported 673 passengers to Porto Santo and 700 to Funchal.

POLITICS

Region wasting funds for poverty reduction. The leader of the Socialist Party, Jacinto Serrão accused the Regional Government of not utilizing funds made available by the Government of the Republic for social intervention. "The social fragility of the region is deliberately hidden by the Madeiran Government." The government has not divulged the serious situation linked to Social Security, growing debts of businesses. Part of this hidden reality is the low rate of allocation of social benefits, much lower than given by the State, contradictory to the regional reality. One of the political consequences of new information the party has gained from the former president of Social Security, is that the Socialist Party request a parliamentary debate on the state of Social Security.

UPDATES

Swan Lake ballet in Funchal on April 1st. The Moscow Tchaikovsky Ballet, accompanied by the OCM, will perform Swan Lake at 21.00 at the Congress Centre of Madeira. This is the first big event in the program celebrating the centenary of the Clube Desportivo Nacional.

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.

Storms cause 40 million Euros losses in agriculture and forestry. The losses have been sustained by bad weather since December. 2,300 farmers have applied for grants for damage and they can claim for 85% of damage. The extraordinary storm of February 20th has led to the Regional Government to ask the EU to increase the support to 95%.

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

Council accuses company of filling the river with rubbish – Santa Cruz suppresses contract because of the dumping in Camacha. The company boss concerned denies everything.

‘The law of the stoppers’ with opposing interpretations – Prohibiting internal criticisms within the Social Democrat Part [national level] is ‘fascism’ for Filipe Malheiro, and an ‘act of courage’ for Rafaela Fernandes. This has been a main headline in the national media for several days now, when a resolution was passed in the PSD party conference that enables party leaders to expel members who openly criticise the party. Watch out Uncle Bertie, as it seems to be your favourite pastime! Somehow I don’t think any PSD party leader would have the guts to expel him, as it would just make the situation even worse. UB at the conference was treated as a hero by friends and foes at the conference, as he rides a high tide of public opinion due to the sympathy and the following reaction to the disaster of 20th February.

Today’s main news headline : Government raises [constructs] walls on the sandy areas – Gradually the houses on the beach front of Porto Santo have become holiday homes for the more powerful leaders. The Regional Government turned a blind eye, but prohibited new units. Now the fierceness of the ocean has led the government itself to the beach to protect these homes, starting through one of Jardim’s helpers. The sand dunes suffer. Even the Council of Porto Santo protests.

Storm : Santa Cruz quits from the ‘City Of Culture 2010′. The decision was taken by council president José Alberto Gonçalves, who considered it more important to focus on the need to rehome people and recuperate the area after the storm of 20th February.

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.

Nacional tourists feel the urge to visit Madeira – President of the Executive Commission of Mundovip is convinced that the national market is going to grow this year in the Region. Those responsible for the major tour operators are on Madeira today.

Boost in the promotion of the Flower festival in the internal market. Trinidade and Estudante [national and regional tourism bosses] discuss campaign for the winning and promotion of air routes.

Storms cause €40 million of damage in Madeiran agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture is available to support proposals in Brussels.

The main sports / football headline today : Bad luck brings defeat and distances Marítimo from the Europa League – Lack of effectiveness and a great goalkeeping performance were the foundation of the defeat (1 – 0) in Paços de Ferreira.

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.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and other material.

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

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

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

3 weeks on in Ribeira Brava

admin — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:55:00 +0000

I started writing this yesterday, prompted by the ‘Big Sunday Interview’ on Antennae 1, and by a few things I had read and heard this week about the so called ‘return to normal’. You will just have to make your own minds up, as there is so much conflicting information about the state of recovery of the island, all probably true to some extent, and at the same time too generalised to be representative of the complete truth. Unfortunately, with a few exceptions, there has not been much written by blog readers about what has happened in the last 3 weeks in the areas where they live or know, so what you read in the media is what you are tempted to accept, and obviously the media has to operate within certain constraints that stop a complete and accurate coverage of the situation.

The aforementioned interview was with Ismael Fernandes, president of the conselho (region) of Ribeira Brava, who has been totally tied up with the response to the storm and floods of 20th February. In a space of about 40 minutes yesterday, he was grilled on every aspect possible of the impact, damage, clean up and recovery, and longer term issues arising from that horrible day. It has been well documented about the problems within and outside the town, being one of the worst hit regions of Madeira. I have to admit the response from Ismael and his team has been absolutely remarkable, as well as from the public at large, especially given the restrictions in resources and finances, and having to work within priorities and restraints coming from higher powers. Thank you Ismael and everyone.

I donned my headphones and wandered into Ribeira Brava town to see how Sunday morning looks these days, and listened to the interview during my wander.

The beach area at Ribeira Brava has grown enormously since the 20th February. The whole area that was water on the East side of the sea front is now natural beach, having been created in two phases during bad weather, the later ‘completion’ stage followed on from the torrents of 20th February. The sea now laps just over the short line that separates the two concrete sea barriers, with a now much calmer river weaving a new course to the sea from one day to the next. The Eastern end of that East beach is now piled high with inerts … sand, mud and stone, that came down with the torrents and has been dredged from the river beds and elsewhere, and ‘stored’ there whilst decisions are made. The volume is just incredible, and on Saturday, at times the movement and noise of heavy machinery was more noticeable than the normal flow of traffic in the town.

Ismael was explaining about the situation with water in certain zones of his responsibility. There are still many homes without water at all and without drinking water. That situation will continue, as the repairs to the infrastructure look to a more permanent solution for those living on the West side of the conselho, after a Winter of problems with the supply of water that comes from Ponta do Sol.

A bit further along the beach, at the mouth of the river at the promenade bridge, there is the gathered remains of a rusted and twisted tanker lorry, in bits and pieces. Presumably finally providing the evidence of what actually caused the major structural damage to the ‘centennial’ bridge, now being demolished.

Asked about support for traders in the town, Ismael was honest in his response that in the town itself, no businesses were actually destroyed and those who had suffered would have their insurance policies to claim their losses. The reality is that some of the more public-facing businesses may have lost some days of trading from being directly in the path of the flood water, others suffered through cuts in the water supply, but the levels of trade now seem lower than ever, despite a very thorough clean up. What the financial crisis started, the floods seem to have finished off. Being a Sunday lunchtime, normally the busiest time of the week, plenty of people milling around, but the chinking of money was nowhere to be heard. Quite a few tourists were stopping and looking, and stopping and looking …

A bit further along at the supervised beach area and swimming pool, there is so much debris it is incredible. It is not an accumulation of debris either, as the clean up from previous storms was well in hand when 20th February arrived. Whole trees and masses of plastic debris and other rubbish actually prevent a clear view of the lapping waves, and partially obscured the numerous fishermen out to catch their Sunday lunch. They were doing very well, with considerable quantities of small to medium sized fish being caught during the five minutes I sat and watched. From a distance they looked like Dourado, so I suspect the nets of the offshore fish farm at Campanário got damaged yet again. The number of active fishermen has been increasing during the Winter, for financial reasons I guess, so this must have been Christmas come early for some.

Ismael was asked about José Feliz, the young man that has been left homeless, and cêntimoless, after his whole family perished in Pomar da Rocha. He confirmed that he was now living with an aunt (not close family), he now had clothes, a laptop computer, and has actually been offered a job that he can fit in with his education. No mention of his new Nikes, kindly funded by generous blog readers. He is receiving psychological help, and Ismael said that the town is rallying around to support the lad.

The river bed of the Ribeira Brava has been a hive of activity over recent days. Tipper trucks and diggers have been digging out an incredible amount of inert material deposited there on and after 20th February, that have raised the river bed to potentially dangerous levels in the event of another heavy storm arriving. Looking day to day the work doesn’t seem to be making much progress, but the pile on the beach is getting so much bigger, that the river bed level must be dropping. Most of the old bridge has now been demolished, with just the West arch left standing. Water still pours from the damaged pipework that was affixed to the side. (top photo).

To glean some idea of the extent of the rubbish brought down by the torrents, one also needs to wander along the old coast road leading to Tabua, that has been closed for some years. The concrete barrier has been removed at the end of the parking zone, and from then on the road is piled high with driftwood and other rubbish, waiting to be sifted and sorted, some materials destined for recycling or reuse.

The church square, in the worst affected area, has long been cleaned after being submerged in mud, as has the church itself. The decorative handmade courtyard surface is damaged in several places, and obviously the floral aspects were also washed away. The furniture shop at the side that took the brunt of the flood was emptied, with talk of €150,000 worth of damage.

Much of Ismael’s interview covered other areas north of the town, particularly Serra de Água, but my knowledge of that area is very limited so I could not really say exactly what was happening there and exactly where, but it is no secret that the worst of the problems hit back there, and any talk of normality is just not an option at this stage.

We know what happened to many homes, some lost, some badly damaged. Large areas of land have been lost, and crops and peoples livelihoods along with them. And as for the homeless, well they’re still wandering around town in slowly reducing numbers, but at least they have a roof over their heads and food, until better options are found. Missing people … yes of course, and they comprise two of Feliz’s family, including his mother, and that is a sad but certain outcome. Back to normal, no, getting back to normal … at a stretch possibly.

Thanks to Sheila for the photo of the house in Serra de Água.

Funchal – before & after ; Who wants the debris at what cost ; Doubts about biomass

admin — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:50:00 +0000

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Tom … Via rápida bridge over Funchal

"Thought you may find this of interest. Madeira’s isolated areas with Internet may be solved, with this new technology … Pete".

"Life the other side of the Island" … Pete VIDEO HERE

"Close to nature" … Pete ROOTS OF A PEOPLE

"This may be more interesting about a slooper that got involved with Madeira fort in 1825. You can delete old story if you like, if it been used before" … Pete HERE

FUNCHAL

BEFORE AND AFTER

Thanks Pete, and Tom for the extra photos, 4 snippets from Elaine (East), many thanks …

Island Escape is the cruise ship based in Funchal that cruises the Canary Islands. Cruise passengers to sue over norovirus outbreaks. Hundreds of British holidaymakers are planning legal action against Thomson Holidays and Fred Olsen Cruise Lines after several outbreaks of gastric illness on the cruise ships Island Escape and Boudicca. HERE

Highlighting the new golf course complex at Ponto do Pargo as a good investment. Is it time to invest in golf property in Madeira? HERE

Interview with a wine writer. But life continues and so does our stay in Madeira. Half of the trip’s 36 days are now spent and what we’ve experienced so far are almost hard to understand. Treated like kings I am overwhelmed by the Madeiran’s generosity and the wine’s they produce! I thought I had tasted some great wines on the noble grapes but so far I’ve been tasting wines that now are new reference points for me – especially exceptional Boal’s from 1903, 1920 & 1922 from Pereira d’Oliveira and Blandy’s. HERE

Above website led me to his other blog Mad about Madeira. A salute to a classic wine HERE

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

DIÁRIO 14/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

‘War of the stones’ divides government and mayors. It is a scene of war that is causing eruptions within the government. Companies had been ordered to transport stones and other materials deposited by the floods to the Marina do Lugar de Baixo, but the Regional Secretary for Social Infrastructure thought this decision was dubious. In the Ribeira Brava Council and different departments of the Regional Government, there are suspicions that the deposits at the marina were just to solve the significant cost of building a protecting breakwater. The Mayor of Ribeira Brava is reluctant to withdraw the inert materials from the mouth of the streams as he wants them for later use in the county. For a long time the mayor has wanted an extension to the promenade between Ribeira Brava and Tabua. Using the deposited material for this construction would end the landslides onto the coastal road, provide landfill and a wall, and create a new promenade that links the two areas. The initial order to transport all the material to the marina will not be met as Santos Costa has made it clear that the material should be used for constructing retaining walls around streams and for roads, then any remaining deposits sent to the marina. In Serra de Água, Ribeira Brava, Tabua and Madalena do Mar, small contractors have been withdrawing stones from the streams for one or two large companies, at the request of the government. This has led to a complaint from the Mayor of Ponta do Sol, who opposes the policy of Santos Costa. It is doubtful it the government will pay for the large construction companies removal of this material which has great commercial value. The Mayor of Funchal, Miguel Albuquerque, has to find finances for losses of 200 million Euros. Miguel Albuquerque fell out with the government when Funchal Council would not join the new firm Água e Resíduos da Madeira. The council will now have to independently finance the repair of the sanitation and water supplies. Miguel Albuquerque’s challenging independent stance, and the public praise for the decision to store the deposits on Praia Formosa and Carreiras, might cause shock waves in the future (Jardim’s replacement).

Segadães said that "cheap becomes expensive". Problem: Some bridges collapsed and others were flooded. Solution: Build bridges above street level and pedestrian-only bridges in urban areas. Structural engineers have a role in the reconstruction of Madeira in the post-storm of February 20th. An alternative route is needed over the Ribeira de João Gomes (between Alto da Pena and Rochinha). One proposal is a flyover at Campo da Barca linking Rua Santiago Menor and cota 40. What is agreed is that bridges will not have to be affected by any future flooding from the streams in lower Funchal or Ribeira Brava. Arched bridges with support pillars in the streams are now known to be unsuitable. Funchal needs more pedestrian bridges to allow better traffic flow and roundabouts should not be built over streams. Antonio Segadães Tavares designed the award winning extension to the airport runway. He said he does not share the idea that the flood was a new event to the region but was a bit more than others. We need to learn from the flood and that "cheap becomes expensive". The vice-president of Funchal Council said it is now essential to have the Viaduto da Cota 120 – a second crossing over the Ribeira de João Gomes. The president of the regional section of the Ordem of Engineers said there is a difficult cost-benefit equation. Bridges above street level are ten times more expensive than those at street level. The visual impact is also important.

MADEIRA

Court recognizes owners of Urbanization VIP. In the litigation case, the court recognizes that the owners of these houses are entitled to take part in the proceedings. The nine town houses that constitute Urbanization VIP were licensed in 2002 by Funchal Council. They were then the target of a class action, having been built on an ‘urban green area’ as outlined in the PDM. In 2006, their construction and licensing were ruled illegal although some houses were already inhabited. The council then included them in the new Urban Plans for the area and the promoter ‘Conselheiro -Actividade Imobiliária, Lda.’ appealed to the court to revoke the interim decision. The judge dismissed the claim. In 2008, the council tried to resolve the dispute by issuing a licence but again this was ruled illegal. The home owners produced legal documents to prove they had acted in good faith but the court rejected their claim to be interested parties. This latter decision has now been overturned.

30 families waiting for a new home. More than 30 families are living in precarious conditions in Rua do Poço Barral, São Martinho. The rooms were already in a poor state before the bad weather this winter. They know there are others in worse conditions, such as those made homeless, but ask the authorities not to forget them. The houses were built illegally over thirty years ago. There are leaks, crumbling ceilings, cracked walls and constant damp. Their clothes and the house contents smell mouldy. The owners have delivered documented evidence to Funchal Council who said they would relocate the residents to solve the problem. The authorities insist they will rehouse the most needy first, although they do recognize that the situation is problematic.

ECONOMY

Biomass will not solve forest fires. The Regional Director of Forestry is not convinced the region will benefit from the installation of a new biomass plant in Santo da Serra. He has doubts about the operation of the plant and its impact on the Madeiran forests. Nutroton Energias want to build this plant. They have invested in renewable energy in Porto Santo and obtained a licence for the installation of large solar panels at Caniçal. A biomass plant is only profitable if the material for burning has a diameter more than 8 centimetres, whereas most of the undergrowth causing forest fires is of a smaller diameter. Thus, the Regional Director thinks the plant will not solve the problem of forest fires. The Department of Forestry is there to protect and promote the forests, so needs to know beforehand if any timber is to be felled. To cause deforestation in order to produce energy is not reasonable. 60% of forests are on private land and the owner’s permission is needed for logging. Raw material for biomass combustion is cheaper if it is imported, as it is difficult to access land in Madeira because of the topography of the island as opposed to the Continent. Imported wood needs to be free from pests. If the process leads to better forests, it is welcomed. An expert said that a biomass plant is only useful if revenue is taken from both heat generated (70%) and electricity produced, as if only electricity is provided the income drops to 22%.

Data on forests in Madeira.

59,000 hectares of forests, half of which is natural forest.

16,000 hectares could be used for biomass, or 153 tons of trees.

Calheta has the largest area of forests in the region.

Bush and herbaceous plants occupy 24,000 hectares of the forests.

POLITICS

Court detect illegalities in the accounts of MPT. After the accusations, Ismael Fernandes now produces his evidence at the Constitutional Court. He alleges that irregularities in the accounts of the electoral campaign for the last regional elections were committed by the Earth Party and its financial agencies. He was the former president of the MPT and justifies his actions: he did not notice the dates when he sent the bills to the accountant; lacked experience and did not act in bad faith. The MPT failed to submit to the Constitutional Court a statement of campaign revenue and expenses. The audit identified expenses amounting to 16,923.90 Euros, supported by invoices issued after the election, which cannot be considered campaigning expenses.

More later maybe … especially if someone would be kind enough to contribute something …

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and other material.

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

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

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Indolents of Santa Cruz ; PIGS of Europe – have your say ; ITN footage from 1964

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Rita … Topiary display at Palheiro Gardens

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

Did they have camels here? This is totally worth spending all of Saturday working, and still working at half-past midnight: I’m transcribing the 1825 journal of someone sailing from Scotland to Australia in 1825. The journey takes about four months. It is fascinating and awesome, and at one point there are sharks.

- Santa Cruz, Madeira, in the mid-1820s:
"The natives of Santa Cruz are very indolent, & Greedy as soon as we went on shore they ran after us begging. The dress of the women is very peculiar; they have a blanket that covers the head & hangs down their back & on their head over the blanket is a hat, the same hat as is worn by the men. Camels are very common there instead of draught horses, they carry very heavily burdens on their back; the ass also in Santa Cruz is very plenty & a small kind of horse, there are no Carts there. Oxen are also in great abundance & instead of dragging by the neck they drag by the horns a sort of sledge without wheels, & upon this machine they drag their wine & water; the natives drive the horses & oxen into the sea & swim along with them to wash them." SOURCE

Many thanks to Becky for this video and snippet : Fado "A Júlia Florista" na Ilha da Madeira

Brilliant old ITN programme called ‘Roving Report’ presented by Sandy Gall in January 1964. "Report on the island of Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean which can only be reached by sea. However the sedate traditional way of life is likely to change as the airport under construction is nearly finished." Sadly, ITN archive won’t let you hear the audio of clips 1, 2 and 7 (of 8 clips in total) unless you pay a fee to licence it, but there’s enough here for a very worthwhile watch even if some of it is without sound. Fascinating to see how the island has changed in the last 46 years and strange to think of a time when there was no airport. HERE

"I noticed in today’s (Monday) blog there was a mention about a tsunami from a Canary Island. I was doing some studying the other day about the Lisbon Earth quake in 1755 and there is a small mention about how it affected Madeira as well as many other parts of the world. Thought the link here be of interest" … Pete LISBON EARTHQUAKE

‘PIGS’ – article adapted from BBC articles. Links below.

The BBC wants comments and information from people who live in these countries: Portugal, Ireland, Greece or Spain? “PIGS is a horrible acronym. But this is how the financial markets refer to the troubled and heavily-indebted countries of Europe – Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain.(Some analysts use PIIGS to include Italy – Europe’s longstanding biggest debtor.)” The BBC is after answers to these questions:

How bad is the economic situation in your country?

How has it affected you and your family?

What measures have you taken to cope with the economic crisis?

“Greece has dominated the concerns of investors since late last year, when concerns over whether it will be able to pay off the 300bn Euros ($419bn; £259bn) in government debt it currently owes. The euro has been battered over the past month as some even started to fear the break-up of the eurozone.Now the European Union has agreed a deal to rescue Greece – with perhaps other wrecked economies to be helped at a later date.”

Just how bad a situation are the PIGS in, and how does that compare with the UK for example?

GREECE – Economy, in European Union : Thirteenth-largest

Latest GDP figure: -0.3% (Third quarter of 2009) ; Gross debt in 2010, forecast : 125% of GDP ; Gross debt in 2007 : 94.5% of GDP ; Jobless rate : 9.7% ; Population : 11,260,402 Stocks performance in 2010 : -10.5% (to 11 February)

IRELAND – Economy, in European Union : Fifteenth-largest

Latest GDP figure: 0.3% (Third quarter of 2009) ; Gross debt in 2010, forecast : 82.9% of GDP ; Gross debt in 2007 : 25.4% of GDP ; Jobless rate : 13.3% ; Population : 4,450,014 Stocks performance in 2010 : -1.5% (to 11 February)

SPAIN – Economy, in European Union : Fifth-largest

Latest GDP figure : -0.1% (Fourth quarter of 2009) ; Gross debt in 2010, forecast : 66.3% of GDP ; Gross debt in 2007 : 36.2% of GDP ; Jobless rate : 19.5% ; Population : 45,828,172 ; Stocks performance in 2010 : -13% (to 11 February)

PORTUGAL – Economy, in European Union : Seventeenth-largest

Latest GDP figure: 0.9% (Third quarter of 2009) ; Gross debt in 2010, forecast : 84.6% of GDP ; Gross debt in 2007 : 63.6% of GDP ; Jobless rate : 10.4% ; Population : 10,627,250 ; Stocks performance in 2010 : -9.7% (to 11 February)

Portugal – with its high borrowing and sudden reversal in economic fortunes – has been lumped in the same category as its Mediterranean neighbours.

The country has vowed not to leave the eurozone, with its finance minister telling the BBC that it faced "an extraordinary and exceptional situation, due to a major financial and economic crisis without precedent in our recent history".

UNITED KINGDOM – Economy, in European Union : Third-largest

Latest GDP figure: 0.1% (Fourth quarter of 2009) ; Gross debt in 2010, forecast : 80.3% of GDP ; Gross debt in 2007 : 43.8% of GDP ; Jobless rate : 7.8% ; Population : 61,634,599 ; Stocks performance in 2010 : -4.2% (to 11 February)

Although the UK did officially come out of recession in the fourth quarter of 2009 – ending six consecutive quarters of economic decline – the growth was just 0.1%, much less than expected.

The UK government spent £85.5bn last year on bailing out the banks. Now, Chancellor Alistair Darling is predicting a record £178bn of borrowing in the current fiscal year.

With an election this year, Labour and the Conservatives have been sparring over the exact size of spending cuts and many economists have raised concerns that the UK could have its credit rating cut.”

Links: To send your experiences to the BBC click HERE SOURCE

Financial crisis: IMF boss says there’s no reason why the spillover to Portugal or to Spain will take place. "No one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow morning but there’s no reason why the spillover to Portugal or to Spain will take place"

Image: from wikimedia

"there’s no reason" to expect that Spain and Portugal would also need to call for external support, says IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn Link to BBC article

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

DIÁRIO 09/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Available for all. "I am available at any hour and any moment, as I always have been and I always am wherever I go." That is the message of the rally driver Bernardo Sousa. Diário asked him if he would be associated with any tourism promotion campaign carried out by the Regional Government. He said that no one has contacted him but he would be willing, not only abroad but also in Portugal. Three days ago, he won the Rally Torrié and soon will be competing in countries where the residents choose to spend their vacations in Madeira. Bernardo is taking part in the World Rally and says Madeira could draw dividends form the media attention. He will be in France, Germany and England and the events will be covered by television, newspapers and the radio. Bernardo will be going next to Jordan in early April. The events are usually covered by 200 journalists and the organization has its own TV channel and radio and their website is visited by many millions of enthusiasts. The photo shows the Flag of Madeira raised on the podium when he was in first position in the Campeonato de Portugal de Ralis de 2010. It was placed on the roof of his Ford S2000, in solidarity with the victims of the storm.

"We make a point not to put debris into the sea." Funchal Council will transfer the storm debris from Praia Formosa to a licensed landfill at Carreiras. Costa Neves, the Councillor for the Environment, said they would not deposit the debris and sludge into the sea, learning from past mistakes. The material is being separated; metal is sent for recycling and the sludge, stones, sand and wood are sent to landfill. The Regional Government was considering dumping the deposits by the Avenida do Mar into the sea. A portion of the landfill is being buried as it contains food from the supermarket in Anadia and other organic substances, which are rotting and affect nearby hotels. The cars damaged by the flood are being sent for scrapping, either to the area previously used for this purpose or to land in Fundoa. The owners have to decide whether to send them for recycling, depending on their insurance. Yesterday, the Armas ferry brought to Funchal a machine to clean the sewerage network, which is full of rubble which has also damaged the pipe work. The machine has been rented for a week at a cost of 20,000 Euros, and can clear the debris, check the pipes for breaks and repair them. It will operate in the Avenida do Mar and Market areas, then go to the outer regions of Santo António, especially to clear the pumping station at Trapiche. It will also be used at the Estação de Tratamento de Águas Residuais do Funchal. The inventory of houses damaged in Santo António is still being finished but roof tiles are being sent to home owners. The council will also assist owners in rebuilding their homes where the land has been assessed to be safe from further landslides. Each case will be individually evaluated and the home owners will also have to financially contribute.

MADEIRA

Marote case opens with exchange of accusations. Two of four accused of embezzlement (the abuse of power and economic participation in business negotiations) were in court yesterday. The ex-vice-president of Funchal Council, Rui Marote, is one of those accused. The Public Ministry has scrutinized the process of providing cleaning supplies to Funchal Council and concluded there had been collusion to promote three companies that supply chemicals to the council. In court, there were the environmental engineer and former head of the Division of the council, and the technical engineer who was the Director of the Department of the Environment. The former head of the Division is accused of using council services to clean a house in Santo da Serra. He replied the work was out-of-hours, unpaid and council products were not used. The former Director of the Department of the Environment said it was standard practice for products to be directly purchased, with a ceiling of 2,500 Euros per requisition. The purchase of only three supplies passed this limit. A warehouse employee told the council there was over-consumption of products by the Division headed by the engineer. The defendant then blocked new acquisitions, so only external ordering was allowed. The stress involved caused his admittance to the Casa de Saúde São João de Deus.

South Africa in solidarity. Casa da Madeira de Joanesburgo, Club Sport Marítimo de Joanesburgo, Red Skins and Madeira Golfe have helped to collect 72,000 rands for Madeira. They used the African NGO (non-government organization) called ‘Gift of the Givers’, which has recently distributed more than 360 million rands in aid throughout 27 countries. In South Africa, it has 20 units which treat 40,000 patients each month. By Saturday, it had received 10 tons of clothing, food, bottled water, baby food, nappies, medicines and other products intended for Madeira. The organization was still busy helping Haiti when it received a phone call informing of what had happened in Madeira. After 48 hours of assessing the situation, the organization decided to appeal for help. The goods should be delivered within three weeks. The Casa Social da Madeira in Pretória has raised 125,000 rands.

Weather forecasting model not implemented for 7 years. The Centre for Geophysical Sciences in Lisbon University proposed to the Institute of Meteorology in 2003, a project for high resolution, more detailed forecasting of weather conditions in the Azores and Madeira, 48 hours in advance. The Institute of Meteorology agreed to participate but only the Azores progressed with the project; Madeira lacking partners. For the weather forecast for Madeira, the Institute uses a European model, which is the best global model but it does not have enough spatial resolution to represent the topography of Madeira sufficiently. To compensate for the island’s physical characteristics, additional regional data is collected from remote radars and satellites. The installation of the high resolution model would cost no more than 100,000 Euros. The diagram shows the model used by the Centre for Geophysics in Lisbon to allow more detailed forecasts, thanks to high resolution orographics (how hills and mountains affect the weather – BBC website).

Cruelty to animals not reported. Few cases of animal cruelty actually reach the authorities. Complaints to the police about mistreatment and neglect are rarely followed up, as it is not practical. Instead of the general public going directly to SPAD (Society for the Protection of Domestic Animals), they only receive complaints through the Regional Directorate of Veterinary Medicine, PSP or GNR. The complaints are not accompanied by documented evidence, such as testimonies, videos or photos, so they cannot prosecute. People are also afraid of complaining because of fear of reprisals. Fines for violence to animals range from 500 Euros to 3,740 Euros or up to 44,890 Euros if the perpetrator is a legal entity (company or institution). Neglect is a punishable crime, alongside irresponsible ownership of dangerous or potentially dangerous animals. Animals which are involved can be seized, with the intention of adoption.

LATEST NEWS

Flower Festival "is already sold out". The Regional Secretary for Tourism said that hotels are largely full, a "good omen" for the tourism industry after the storm of February 20th. Three and four star hotels are almost all fully booked and five star hotels are going that way. But the President of Porto Bay Group, António Trindade, cautions this optimism, saying that high occupation rates are not a reality. If there is too much optimism it could generate a disincentive for agencies to sell Madeira. He said the market is reacting positively to the events of February 20th but there are still many beds to fill.

Museum of Sugar will only reopen within a year. The Museu do Açúcar or "Cidade do Açúcar" in Praça Colombo, one of the most emblematic and important museums in Funchal, requires 300,000 – 400,000 Euros of repair work after the flood of February 20th. DRAC is still at the stage of assessing and costing the damage. The building was damaged and 30% of the exhibits are missing, mainly small items. The only other museum to be affected is the privately owned religious museum, Mary Jane Wilson in Rua do Carmo. Water entered through the front door of the Museu do Açúcar and the collection in the basement was completely flooded. Members of the public and the Instituto dos Museus e da Conservação have volunteered to restore damaged items. It could have been worse because many of the most valuable items are in the Palácio da Ajuda in Lisbon for the exhibition, ‘Obras de Referência dos Museus da Madeira – 500 Anos de História de um Arquipélago’. This exhibition of 300 museum pieces from Madeira, representing 500 years of an archipelago, should have ended on 28th February but is extended to April 6th and the extra ticket returns will go to Madeira.

Caritas has not suspended the request for food aid. Contrary to previous reports, please deliver donations to the charity’s warehouse in Rua do Brasil nºs 76 e 79, not military units. It still requires: food, toiletries, household linen (bedding, towels etc.), crockery, furniture, cooking equipment (cutlery, pans, plates etc.) and help with transporting donations throughout the region.

Quote of the day.

Rui Caetano, PS councillor in Funchal Council. He was to make a complaint against the Regional Government but has decided not to, because of the political partnership with the State after the floods of February 20th. He said, "In the meantime, much water has passed under and over the bridge."

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

‘ON’ animates the ‘Old Zone’ in July. ON Fusion Art by Porto Bay is from 16th to 18th July, in it’s 3rd edition, with the promise to fill the old zone of Funchal with art. Paintings, photography, crafts, design and multimedia, fashion, dance, street theatre, and more, will be arranged in Largo do Corpo Santo, Rua de Santa Maria, Jardim do Almirante Reis and the Hotel Porto Santa Maria.

Health Service owes €50 million – The pharmaceutical industry and the suppliers of medical equipment equipment demand the defaulted payments.

Today’s main news headline : Support for new cars – the state and Madeira promise help to those that lost their cars in the latest storm : 4 thousand Euros for the scrapping, and access to a line of credit, to a global value of €10 million. Must be great news for car owners, especially those who didn’t have the right insurance to cover their losses, and yet another show of cooperation between the two levels of government. The government of Portugal having just agreed a very tight budget, with plenty of cuts and restrictions, must be living a nightmare with what is happening on Madeira and the eventual cost, but must flow with the tide of solidarity that has swept the country,. Let’s be honest here … they are damned if they do, and damned if they don’t.

Social Security boosts grants for the funerals of minors.

Suspicions oblige searches in Ribeira Brava and Curral das Freiras.

"It was promised that there will be special solutions for special situations". The Prime Minister assured Ventura Garcês, who will "attend to the situation in the Region". The Government of the Republic signed the order on Wednesday to form the Joint Committee for surveying the damage caused by the storm.

Inert materials [sand, stone, etc.] from the storm help out in the marina of Lugar de Baixo. €40 million would be needed, a sum that the government will now save, putting to use the materials brought down by the water torrents. The problem of Lugar de Baixo marina may finally be resolved, as some creative thinking from the authorities and technical bods came up with the plan to ~~dump~~ deposit the sand, dirt, stones, and garbage accumulated from Serra d’Água through to Ribeira Brava, and also Tabua river, to form part of a frontal protection. Two problems solved in one go, what great news … or is it?

Ministry of Defence will invest in military communications in Madeira – The current system revealed flaws during the storms on 20 February. Augusto Santos Silva guarantees that the system will be corrected.

The main sports headline today : Parents disgrace youth andebol [handball]. Apparently at a game in Funchal on Sunday, the kids did OK, ending up with a drawn match, but some of the parents disgraced themselves with verbal abuse and threatening behaviour to opposition players and supporters (parents). I wonder why parents think it acceptable to behave so badly? Nothing to do with professional footballers surely, hefty pay cheques, spoiled brats, get away with murder. Of course there are some good and honest ones as well …

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.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and other material.

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

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

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Another scare in Jardim do Mar ; Calheta guide ; Lomelino Silva, the Portuguese Caruso

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

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.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and other material.

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

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

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Hahn’d over the dosh Johannes ; Thieving from the homeless ; Strategic buildings at risk

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Tom … "Vintage hidden view point on St. Luiza street behind house # 152. No one knows about it I guess".

Many thanks to Becky for these web snippets :

"This afternoon the wardrobes and cupboards here will be a little emptier. We wish the best of luck to everyone associated with the collection and hope that it makes the lives of the people of Madeira a bit easier in the short term." MORE

"We left Madeira in the middle of the night, stealing away from our hotel, from the sleepy-eyed night clerk we roused from slumber on the lobby’s wicker furniture who watched us drive away through the glass lobby doors, from the sea finally quiet and the stars which we could see for only the second time in a week, with the yellow lights of the city guiding us, the air calm, the night quiet, the whistling wind at last abated–we left the island more full of peace than when we arrived". BLOG STORY

"A bit more on Funchal ships over the years" … Pete. HERE

"Comment here about Graf Zeppelin passed over Funchal" … Pete HERE AND HERE SIGHTING / PHOTO

Also from Pete … "Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner flying over Funchal looking at February flood damage on the 7/3/10. Thanks for all that Pete.

Which is rather good timing, as Paul kindly sent this in, along with the CR article :

Know your EU Commissioners: Johannes Hahn : Without a doubt the most significant EU Commissioner for Madeirans indeed all Madeiran residents is Johannes Hahn, European commissioner for regional policy who is now responsible for a policy that accounts for about one-third of the EU’s spending. He is expected to overtake agriculture as the single biggest budget item. He was of course in the Region to assess the floods damage and discuss scope for EU support with the President of Madeira’s regional government, Alberto João Jardim. The Madeira visit follows up a meeting the Hahn held with the Portuguese Interior Minister, Mr Rui Pereira, in Bruges (Belgium) on 26 February.

The sheer scale of regional spending, roughly €50 billion per year, makes Hahn one of the more important figures in the college.

Johannes Hahn, lover of baroque music and a keen sailor, is that rare breed of politician who does not feel a constant need to talk.

Philosopher: “At university, Hahn quickly discovered that philosophy suited him far better than law. His whole outlook on life changed soon after, however, when, aged 22, he was diagnosed with cancer. “If you are confronted with death, your priorities change,” says Hahn, who still goes for regular check-ups at the age of 52.”

Vienna man: “spent his entire life in Austria’s capital, Vienna, occupying the same flat for the past 24 years”. To read Johannes Hahn’s profile and CV click to this ARTICLE

Imagine Ronaldo playing for Australia!

Had the planets aligned differently, Cristiano Ronaldo might have been playing for the Australian national team rather than Portugal.

“Maria-Angela, 80, and Jose, 81, have had 13 children and four live with them in Perth. Ronaldo, 25, was just a child when Vivieros – who works as a cleaner – moved to Australia to find a better life about 20 years ago.

These days Vivieros pines for the beauty of Madeira, but his parents – who migrated to Perth about a decade ago – are settled and have no wish to return. ”They look after me and I look after them as well,” Vivieros said. ”Now my life’s here.”

Western Australia boasts a Portuguese population of about 8000 and 85 per cent are from Madeira, according to the Portuguese consulate in Perth. The Madeirans started arriving in large numbers in the 1950s and many settled in Fremantle as fishermen.” Link to full article

Marítimo only managed a dreary 0 – 0 draw on Madeira yesterday with Académica. Nacional play tonight, and could climb to 5th in the league table if they win.

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

DIÁRIO 07/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Infrastructures in areas of risk. Link to the map is on yesterday’s blog. Infrastructures of strategic importance are in areas at risk. These include those needed in an emergency, for example fire stations and health centres. Porto Santo is one of the three regions in Portuguese territory that are most at risk if global temperatures increase by two degrees over the next few years, (December 2004 study). Madeira is at risk depending on volcanic activity on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands. A BBC documentary said that in the worst case scenario, a tsunami tidal wave could reach Madeira within a few hours. By the end of the century, it is predicted that the archipelago will have an average temperature increase of 2 – 3 degrees with a 35% reduction in current rainfall. Water availability will decrease by 40 – 50%, (Filipe Duarte Santos, September 2006). Madeira has a population density (310 inhabitants / square km) higher than the EU and national average. 75% occupy only 35% of the territory, mainly on the south coast. 45% of the population (130,000) reside in Funchal, (1,500 inhabitants/ square km). Since 1991, only two counties have increased in population, Câmara de Lobos (10%) and Santa Cruz (26.7%). The first increase is natural and the second as a result of improved road access to Funchal. The development of the Calheta – Machico transport network has allowed a more equal distribution of the population on the south coast, resulting in Funchal losing 12,000 inhabitants between 1991 and 2001. Due to the physical characteristics of the territory, the north coast has been consistently losing population and represents less than 10% of the total population of Madeira.

MADEIRA

‘Delusional fantasy’ reported in the London newspapers. This story has been reported in previous blogs. Diário has picked up on the Daily Mirror and Daily Telegraph reports of the discovery of a nail from the time of the crucifixion of Christ, on the Ilhéu da Pontinha (Forte de S. José). Élvio Sousa of CEAM says it is purely delusional fantasy, agreed by Brian Philp from the Centre for Archaeology. Élvio Sousa guarantees that reports that objects have been found on this site are manifestly false. In the area of the dig, there were found objects from the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries, however there are some remnants that can be traced to the seventeenth century. He said it is sensationalism to say that these were found in a wooden box by the sea, perfectly preserved for over two thousand years. The nail that was found is strong, but is just like the ones used in constructing residential dwellings in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and there are many of these found in the excavation. Contacted by Diário, Renato Barros the owner of Forte de São José, said he himself found the pieces therefore it was a finding, not an archaeological discovery. He added that 200 – 300 people visit the Fort each day and a "person from the British Museum" took note of the relics and then returned to London where the museum authenticated the pieces. He said he would not give any further details, as they will be divulged in Madeira in conjunction with museum officials.

Lack of salary causes strike in Jardim da Serra hotel. Tired of not receiving their wages on time, 16 of the 20 employees of the Hotel Quinta do Jardim da Serra started a two-day strike yesterday. The staff have repeatedly threatened to go on strike since last year for wages paid in arrears, and job insecurity since early 2009. The situation worsened at the end of last year when the salary was two months in arrears but a strike was suspended as the company said they would pay the salaries. The staff are on strike now because they have not received wages for December and the Christmas bonus.

Thieves take items donated for the homeless. Dozens of articles donated by the public for victims of the storm of February 20th were stolen from the warehouse at Rua do Brasil, Nazaré. The burglars entered through the door to the rubbish storage area. According to the president of the charity Cáritas Diocesana do Funchal, they took appliances such as toasters, kitchen mixers and hairdryers. The charity had already suspected that the warehouse could be subject to a possible burglary as some volunteers had noticed on Friday, a group of individuals who attempted to divert products. The doors will be reinforced and the police have been asked to investigate. As well as the army, police will patrol the area.

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

MPT [Earth Party] makes possible Serrão [PS-M leader] as vice of the table of parliament.

Women of Madeira that telephone to APAV answered in the Azores – On the Day of the Woman there is a signalling of the lack of an office of APAV on Madeira, the presence of 20 complaints of domestic violence per week to the PSP Police, and the myths amongst the young people that consider the pressure and the jealousy to be normal. Victim support for Madeira’s battered women is handled initially in the Azores, by the Associação Portuguesa de Apoio à Vítima (APAV), as there is no office on Madeira. This is despite of there being 511 complaints to the Public Security Police in the first six months of 2009. The calls to a Madeiran number are automatically rerouted to Ponta Delgada, in the Azores. The distance causes some difficulties, as often the women are desperate and need information immediately, but the staff of APAV in the Azores need to contact someone on Madeira to seek further help, to give support and if necessary access to sheltered accommodation.

Today’s main news headline : Solidarity already raised €7.3 million. Companies and citizens are on a wave of notable generosity. Mota Engil on its own is giving 1.2 million Euros for 10 (or even 12?) houses for the homeless due to the storms of 20th February. But there are many and good examples that arrive from all the Country and Region. The generosity of companies and the Portuguese is unprecedented. The Diário has done an assessment of the various fund raising initiatives and bodies, to come up with the figure of €7.3 million, and has also concluded that over 40% of that figure is promised by companies. Aside from Mota Engil, Jerónimo Martins has pledged €1 million, BES (Banco Espírito Santo), €500,000, Montepio €150,000 (plus more direct help), Totta €100,000, and Galp Fuel €200,000, are amongst the most generous pledges to support the various fund raising initiatives. Amongst many other sources of support, the Portuguese Football Federation is giving €100,000, whilst the teams Sporting and naval have donated complete gate receipts. Two ‘countries’ have also given, with a €50,000 cheque from the USA Embassy in Lisbon, and €556,000 from one of the poorest countries in the world, East Timor. The list goes on, and on, and on ….

Pestana JR, R. Oudinote and the tunnel Sá Carneiro reopen. Funchal today will be better-off. Running late are Avenida do Mar and Rua do Anadia. As Funchal returns to normal, on a day to day basis at least, roads and tunnels are reopening albeit with restrictions in some cases. Rua Visconde do Anadia needs two or three more weeks before reopening, because the drains are completely blocked. Also the roads Avenida do Mar and Comunidades Madeirenses will continue with restrictions for some time, although there will also be some movement on the South side in a few days when drainage problems have been resolved.

The main sports headline today : Latest draw distances Marítimo from Europe – The ‘verde-rubros’ returned to distance themselves further from the objective of a European placing. The draw with Académica left the team of Mitchell in 10th place. Tonight Nacional close the weekend fixtures in Guimarães.

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.

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

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

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

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

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

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

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

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

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

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

More on that story HERE … many thanks to Don

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

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

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

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

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

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

DIÁRIO 06/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

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

MADEIRA

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

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

POLITICS

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

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

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

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

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

Number of dead from the big storm rises to 43.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Just a third of homes insured ; EU support for Madeira ; Footpath condition report

admin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Becky … Lapas and Planalto at the Roca Mar, Caniço do Baixo

Many thanks to Paul for these articles on EU support and footpaths :

Commissioner’s visit to see damage and discuss scope for EU support

"Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Regional Policy, will be in Madeira on 6 and 7 March to see at first-hand the devastation caused by the floods which hit the Portuguese island on 20 February. He will assess the damage and discuss scope for EU support with the President of Madeira’s regional government, Alberto João Jardim. This visit follows up a meeting the Commissioner held with the Portuguese Interior Minister, Mr Rui Pereira, in Bruges (Belgium) on 26 February.

Speaking ahead of his visit, Mr. Hahn said: “ We do not know the full scale of the tragedy yet, but we do know that a lot of people lost their lives and that many more are suffering. My thoughts go out to the victims and their families. The Commission will do its utmost to assist Madeira through the EU Solidarity Fund, as well as with its Structural and Cohesion Funds. Our aim is, to help restore normal living conditions as soon as possible, in particular ensuring access to running water, and bringing bridges, roads and businesses back into operation.”

Drawing on the European Union Solidarity Fund

The Portuguese authorities have 10 weeks (i.e. until 1 May) in which to submit an application to the Commission for assistance from the European Union Solidarity Fund. They are currently preparing such an application, with the help of the Commission. At this stage no estimate of possible payments can be made.

The Commission will decide as quickly as possible if the criteria of application for the Solidarity Fund are met, and if so, will propose an amount of aid that can be made available. In order for the funding to be released, the Commission will then have to ask the European Parliament and the EU-Member States to adopt an amending budget to be incorporated into the Community budget.

The EU aid may be used to finance the most urgent measures: providing temporary accommodation for the victims, repairing essential infrastructure and clearing land and devastated villages. Measures will be selected jointly by the Commission and the Portuguese authorities before the aid is released. Damage to private property will not be covered by the above arrangements.

Other resources available

The Madeira regional programme (allocated €320 million from the European Regional Development Fund – ERDF in 2007-2013) may also provide aid. In addition, Madeira also benefits from €143 million from the Cohesion Fund through the national programme called “ Territorial Enhancement ”. Specific measures can be taken inside these two programmes to respond to the catastrophe and for longer term reconstruction.

The Portuguese authorities have a certain margin of manoeuvre and have also the possibility to transfer funds from their other programmes. Under Cohesion Policy 2007-2013, the country has been allocated a total of €21.5 billion broken down into 14 programmes.

The European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) facts:

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. 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."

Source: Lithuanian website

Madeira’s footpaths: report February 2010

The Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Natural Resources (SRA) reported last February on the state of Madeira’s footpaths. The Report posted on the official Tourism website which is detailed includes list of footpaths in good condition and footpaths temporarily closed and maps.

Footpaths in good condition

· PR1 Vereda do Areeiro (Pico do Areeiro – Achada do Teixeira)

· PR 1.1 Vereda da Ilha (Achada do Teixeira – Ilha)

· PR 1.2 Vereda do Pico Areeiro (Achada do Teixeira – Pico Ruivo)

· PR 1.3 Vereda da Encumeada (Pico de Areeiro – Encumeada)

· PR5 Vereda das Funduras (Portela – Maroços)

· PR 6 Levada das 25 Fontes (Rabaçal – Risco)

· PR 8 Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço

· PR 11 Levada dos Balcões (Ribeiro Frio – Balcões)

· PR 13 Vereda do Fanal (Assobiadores – Fanal)

· PR 14 Levada dos Cedros (Fanal – Curral Falso)

· PR 15 Vereda da Ribeira da Janela (Curral Falso – Ribeira da Janela)

· PR19 Vereda do Paul do Mar

· Path between Queimadas and Pico das Pedras

Footpaths temporarily closed

· PR 7 Levada do Moinho (Ribeira da Cruz – Lamaceiros)

· PR 9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde (Queimadas – Caldeirão Verde)

· PR10 Levada do Furado (Ribeiro Frio – Lamaceiros – Portela)

· PR 12 Caminho Real da Encumeada (Boca da Corrida – Encumeada)

· PR 16 Levada da Fajã do Rodrigues (Fajã da Amã – Ribeira do Inferno)

· PR 17 Caminho do Pináculo and Folhadal (Lombo do Mouro – Caramujo – Folhadal – Encumeada)

· PR 18 Levada do Rei (Quebradas – Ribeiro Bonito)

To see the entire Report and maps click HERE

To see a map of the current status of the Madeira Levada Walks click HERE

Many thanks to Elaine out West for this article from yesterday’s Diário de Notícias :

Rehousing is a problem in Serra d’Agua IHM wants to keep families in the same neighbourhood, but few homes are available. The resettlement of households in Serra d’Agua affected by the storm remains the main concern of the Madeiran Housing Investment (IHM), due to housing shortages in the parish of Ribeira Brava. Paulo Atouguia, president of IHM, will this morning, together with the president of the local authority, to try to raise awareness of owners of empty houses in Serra d’Agua to lease them to the 139 people who had to leave their homes. "Our goal is to get people relocated near the place where they lived," he told the DIÁRIO. But the main priority is to rehabilitate them; if no solutions are found in the parish, the IHM will look for houses in the centre of Ribeira Brava, or even in another county. This at a time when about 28 households, mostly in Funchal, have been placed temporarily in new housing. Right now, says Paulo Atouguia, the HMI is on the ground to assess not only the proposals for lease which the authorities have received – to assess conditions on offer – but also to conduct a survey of the damage to the homes of displaced persons, a task that is also being carried out by the Regional Laboratory of Civil Engineering and the respective municipalities.

Here a link on Madeira light houses … Pete. HERE Thanks Pete, one of my favourite subjects, though disappointed that there is no photo of the Ribeira Brava lighthouse.

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

DIÁRIO DE NOTÍCIAS 05/03/2010

MADEIRA

Fajã da Ribeira out of isolation. The military bridge connecting this area to Ribeira Brava was finished yesterday and can now be used by motorists. For the assembly, materials had to be transported from Portugal in three trips using military aircraft (C130), transported to the area, a large crane stabilized on site and the bridge mounted by nine soldiers supervised by senior army officers. The bridge can support up to 22 tons and measures 18 metres long and 4.10 metres wide. There are no plans at present for any other military bridges.

Only a third of homes have insurance. Data from the Portuguese Association of Insurers which represents 70 insurance companies operating in the domestic market. On the Continent, the number of houses insured is 50% and traditionally in Europe, house insurance covers 70 – 90% of homes. Insurers originally estimated that compensation after the 20th February storm would reach 60 million Euros but this figure has been revised upwards to 80 million Euros. 54 million Euros covers 616 claims from commerce and industry, with only 454 claims for habitation (4 million Euros). There has been only one claim on life insurance, 11 for injury at work or personal indemnity and 79 for damage to vehicles.

POLITICS

No time to receive the MEPs. The Vice-president of the Regional Government, João Cunha e Silva, claimed a lack of space in the agenda to receive the socialist MEPs who visited the region from Wednesday until yesterday. Alberto Jardim had also refused to meet the four, claiming he had not been contacted through the official channels. He also thought it was in "bad taste" to include the socialist MEP Edite Estrela, whose legal case against him has been ruled in his favour by the Court of Appeal. The Mayor of Funchal was also unavailable so they met with the Vice-president of Funchal, Paulo Fontes. The Spanish MEP said, "If someone did not want to meet the delegation, that decision was their responsibility and strengthened the commitment of the European Socialist group in relation to the autonomous regions, such as Madeira, in supporting the transfer of aid to respond to the effects of the disaster."

Azores / Madeira alliance in the National Assembly. Members from the Azores and Madeira in the National Assembly joined together to try to force the State to re-pay 5% of the income tax revenue to the local councils of the Autonomous Regions. The proposal to alter the State Budget came from the PSD-M but the MPs from the Azores, from other parties, also agreed to it. The proposal is also supported by national PSD and CDS-PP members. Madeiran councils claim that IRS arrears are worth 8 million Euros, and Funchal Council is owed 5 million Euros. Last year, the Ministry of Finance ruled that since the IRS revenue goes to the Regional Governments, they should pay the 5% to the local councils. But the Regions counter-argued that this financial relationship belongs to the Executive in Lisbon. Recently, the municipalities asked the national Parliament to resolve this issue and the Mayor of Funchal has begun court action against the Ministry of Finance.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

FRONT PAGE NEWS

IGA invests 11 million Euros in water recovery. The President of Investment and Management of Water (IGA) pledged yesterday to invest 11 million Euros for the reconstruction of the damaged water supply network. It will cost 4 million Euros to repair the damaged drinking water supply network and it will take at least two and a half months. Water should still be boiled in affected areas and the drinking water supply is still unavailable in Jangão in the municipality of Ponta do Sol, in Zimbreiros in Apresentação and in Serra d’Água in the county of Ribeira Brava. The worst area is Serra d’Água where the complete network has been destroyed. The remaining 7 million Euros is for damage to the supply of water for irrigation and this should be resolved within a month. The problem areas for these damaged channels are Ribeira Brava, Funchal and Ponta do Sol.

REGION

New access for Meia Légua and the north of the island. The Regional Government has given Estradas da Madeira the contract to build a new access road to Meia Légua. This will be a more permanent safer road to this parish in Serra de Água, and a link to the north of the island through the Encumeada tunnel. The new route will be 2.6 km long and include a 2,100 m tunnel with three emergency exits. There will be two bridges and a roundabout linking the expressway in Serra de Água. The cost is estimated at 41.5 million Euros and the project was planned previously but never implemented due to a lack of funds.

LAST PAGE

GNR will have another dog for search and rescue. The team in Madeira will have another dog as another one is necessary to cover the region. The commander of the Territorial branch of the GNR said that first they have to find the right dog and then a handler who needs total commitment to the job. The team in Madeira has only one dog for detecting human odour and this dog is presently in convalescence. There are four dogs trained to detect drugs. Diário has a long article about the two dogs that came over from Portugal to search after the February 20th storm. They are Timmy, a 5 year old border collie who has returned to Portugal while Sacha, a six year old golden retriever, remains on the island. Each handler works exclusively with his dog. When the dog detects a victim, it signals this by barking. If the dog is unsure, it smells and scrapes. They are trained to work in various scenarios/types of terrain and weather conditions. The dogs are trained from an early age by being rewarded for detecting human odour and they treat it like a game.

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

Tragedy harms tourism to the tune of €1.6 million – In just 15 days, the tourism sector suffered a sharp fall, between visitor losses from cruise ships and planes.

Satellite locates origins of collapses – A cabinet is being created that will study mountainsides and modern solutions to secure unstable slopes. IMAGE HERE. The assessments of the landslides and rock falls in the lands of Funchal has been done. Satellite images have pinpointed the precise problem areas, and now Funchal Council is looking for solutions to secure against further collapses. Engineer and councillor, Amílcar Gonçalves, has been chosen to lead the cabinet that will study the biggest problem in Funchal, the risk of rock falls and landslides. The scale of the problem was highlighted on 20th February, when after extreme rainfall over a long period, 173 collapses occurred in the high and medium zones of Funchal, mostly along a strip between Santo António and Monte. The task ahead to find the solutions that will secure the problem area at an economic cost will not be an easy one.

Today’s main news headline : "The Social Democrats Party of Madeira at this moment needs to change". Miguel Albuquerque highlighted matters and ignored the messages of [president] Jardim about taking a lead in the storms. Now, he has received Edite Estrela, to the contrary of the Regional Government. In an interview about the aftermath, the pretender [to the throne of Jardim as president of Madeira and the PSD-M] affirms his readiness for the succession. But he says that he would not continue in [Funchal] Council even if the law actually permits that, because he has a profession and doesn’t depend on "pans and perches". He supports the remodelling of the PSD-M, but without wanting to refer that to Jardim, because "that’s his problem". ‘Pans and perches’ is some colloquial expression that I couldn’t work out, but I think refers in part to ‘cushy jobs’. I am not surprised that the Diário made this today’s lead story, as Madeira’s top man outside of the Regional Assembly seems to be breaking ranks. It has been a suppressed as much as possible, within the PSD-M, but it has been no secret for some time that the President of Funchal Câmara has had his eye on the top job of Jardim. Now that Jardim has indicated that he might remain in post after his alleged planned retirements in 2011, perhaps that has prompted Albuquerque to speak out now, perhaps (excuse my french), a sort of ‘S*** or bust’ tactic. I am looking forward to reading this in full in the printed edition of the Diário tonight.´

[José] Sócrates is coming the Flower Festival in April – The prime minister said to the Diário that he is coming to see the rebuilding. Yesterday he left Maputo [Mozambique], which is calling for Madeiran businessmen.

Delays in 270 scholarship distresses in the University.

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.

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.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

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

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

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

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

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

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

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

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

And thanks also to Paul for this :

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DIÁRIO 04/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

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

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

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

MADEIRA

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

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

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

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

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

ECONOMY

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

POLITICS

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

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

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

CULTURE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Crucifixion nail: a hoax? ARTICLE LINK

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

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

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

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?

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

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

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

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

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

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Many thanks to Becky for these videos :

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

Lovely compilation of footage and stills from Santa Cruz.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RETURNING TO NORMAL:

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

Schools will be open and operating normally.

TOURISM:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DIÁRIO 01/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

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

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

MADEIRA

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

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

POLITICS

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

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

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

UPDATE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Facilities provided for those who lost their car.

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

Culture with a schedule out of step with the reconstruction.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

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

admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

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.

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.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

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

admin — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Today’s photo from Tom

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

Many thanks to Becky for these videos :

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source of Jersey map

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click either photo to view full size

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DIÁRIO 27/02/2010

MADEIRA

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

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

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

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

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

ECONOMY

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

CULTURE

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

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

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

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

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

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

Navy continues searches in Santo António.

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

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

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

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

The night was calm, despite the Weather Office warnings.

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

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

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

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.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

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

admin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:00:00 +0000

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

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

Many thanks to Becky for these two cheerier videos :

Bailhinho da Madeira.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DIÁRIO 26/02/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

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

MADEIRA

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

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

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

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

ECONOMY

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

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

REGION

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Councils exempt citizens and businesses from IMI.

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

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

20 families evacuated as a precaution.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Madeira flood – photo special – February 2010

admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 03:05:00 +0000

With more photos than I can ever use, this was the best way to use some up. Many thanks to Tom, Pete, Sue, and another for sending them in.

Click on any photo for a full size view.

From Tom : "Funchal downtown is going full swing today. Many tourists and locals are basking in the sunshine and enjoying fresh coffee. The only black spot on west side is lower part of Dolce Vita (Dolce Vita garage is still under water) the river there still flows on the pavement and through the tunnel to the sea, as per my picture".

From Tom : "Here you have police searching for bodies of the driver and passenger, also under the mud deep below are at least 2-3 cars. They have a special instrument / device to see through the mud or measure the magnetic field. They have found cars and pointed to diggers were to look for them. It happened in Levada da Corujeira stream".

From Pete : "The location is Ribeira de São João at Avenida Calouste Gulbenkian [Funchal], 11.15 on Saturday morning. The drains over flowing. Cars stopped, one car in photo was white. The sound was like roaring aircraft, also you can taste soil in the air. Police and fire crew tuned cars round up the street with hills to avoid water".

These were taken by Elize :

And finally, for now, these were sent in by Sue (West) :

I have loads of photos from Funchal (and Ribeira Brava of course) of the flood and the resulting damage, more than I can possibly show on the blog, so please don’t send any more in from those locations unless they are exceptional, or quite different (a rescue attempt, act of heroism, perhaps). Outside of these locations hardly anything has been sent in ??? What’s going on out West? Der.

Tourism worries ; Ronaldo to play in fund raiser ; Euro support fund ; More weather concerns

admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Dramatic photo from Tom … well you know what I mean : "East river going to mercados … all from that photo point has been destroyed".

Many thanks to Paul for sending these in :

Viva Madeira 2! – Tourists urged not to cancel holidays.

The impact will be quick to pass and Madeira will soon recover and return to normal hopefully within days.

Source of photograph

…says Michael Blandy, chairman of the Blandy group, which has five hotels on the island and caters for the majority of British visitors to Madeira.

The Daily Telegraph article continues:

Michael Blandy said many people had been put off coming to Madeira but predicted that the impact would be quick to pass and that Madeira would soon recover and return to normal "hopefully within days.

"In reality it is a very small area that has been affected and the authorities are working incredibly hard to restore the infrastructure and ensure a return to normality."

"Tourism chiefs have urged holidaymakers not to abandon Madeira as a tourist destination following flash floods and mudslides at the weekend that left at 42 dead and hundreds homeless" Link to The Daily Telegraph article

(CNN) – Cristiano Ronaldo is to play in a special benefit match for the victims of the Madeira floods and mudslides which have claimed the lives of at least 42 people. The world’s most expensive player has made himself available for a game between Portuguese champions Porto and a joint team from Madeira-based clubs Nacional and Marítimo.

No date has yet been set for the match, but Ronaldo has said he will help in "whatever possible way" after the tragic events of the weekend. Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira added: "Porto want to express their condolences for all that has happened and, as a club, do everything necessary to help Madeira."

Real Madrid forward Ronaldo was born and grew up in Madeira and has a special football center named after him, which is next to the Nacional stadium. The 24-year-old paid his own tribute after scoring the first goal in Real’s 6-2 rout of Villarreal on Sunday, lifting his shirt to reveal a t-shirt bearing the name "Madeira" on the chest

"Nobody can be indifferent to such a tragedy, especially me," Ronaldo told the official Real Madrid Web site, www.realmadrid.com. "I was born and raised on the island. It’s given me so much. This is why I want to make myself available to help in whatever possible way.

"I would like to help official bodies and organizations to minimize the effects of this great tragedy and to get over them as soon as possible." Former World Player of the Year Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid from Manchester United in the summer for a record $120 million fee. CNN LINK

Don’t forget that there are heavy rains forecasted for today. The intensity is not comparable to that of Saturday, but with just 6 days between the two precipitations, there could be effects beyond the normal because everything is still so wet. There is also a separate warning for strong winds in Funchal and the high zones. This is from the BBC … many thanks to Pete for the link.

More heavy rain is forecast for Madeira later in the week, following the devastating floods on Saturday.

The island lies directly in the path of more storms developing in the topical Atlantic. The first of the storms is forecast to hit on Wednesday with a further more intense storm on Friday. With the clean up operation underway, the new storms are unwelcome news, raising the possibility of further destruction. As the funerals are held for the victims of the floods it is feared the death toll could reach 70. The winter months are normally the wettest part of the year in Madeira, but this winter has seen a succession of low pressures pass over the island. After hitting Madeira, the storms will then head northeast bringing disruptive weather to the Portuguese mainland and Spain. Nina Ridge explains why Madeira is seeing a series of storms.

And finally, another link from Paul …

European Parliament emergency debate on Madeira’s floods: 24 February 2010

European Commissioner Günther Oettinger confirmed that money from the EU’s solidarity fund was already being directed to the Portuguese island. Link to video of the whole or most of the debate:

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

Today’s main news headline : Total damage amounting to €1.3 billion – Early calculations show astronomical budgetary needs that the Regional Government takes to Brussels today.

Insurers already paid the downtown traders.

Via rápidas and expressos are safe.

Some accesses reopen today – the road network of Funchal, weakened, recovers a little. See everything on the map. Traffic returns to within a few blocks from the centre of Funchal on Friday. Funchal Council president Miguel Albuquerque urges caution in relation to the weather. Movement is restored Friday in five streets around the city centre. In the daily update issued by Funchal Council on Thursday, Miguel Alburquerque announced that the traffic is returning this afternoon to various parts of the city. Parque do Campo da Barca also reopens Friday. With the forecasts of wind and rain for Friday and Saturday, Alburquerque once again reaffirmed that the authorities are prepared for any event, and stressed that there is no reason for panic or fear, but caution is necessary. The president warned people to be careful with their cars alongside water courses, in areas where there are land slides, and areas where there are trees at risk of falling. SEE MAP

Timor gives thousands to Madeira – Díli ignores the discourtesy and repays the friendship shown by the Madeiran people to the East Timorese cause in 1999. When East Timor was the stage of destruction and desperate for help, Madeira didn’t send a single cêntimo. The response has come regardless, with a donation of $750,000 (€556,000), from the government of the country, to help the victims of the catastrophe. The donation has been made as an act of ‘solidarity and support towards the people and authorities’ of Madeira, after the president of East Timor had sent a message of condolences to his Portuguese counterpart. In 1999, whilst on holiday in Porto Santo, Madeira’s President Alberto João Jardim guaranteed that he would not give "a cêntimo" for East Timor, causing harsh reactions throughout the country. "The popular philosophy taught me that each one should govern itself", said the president of the Regional Government on 29 August 1999. Later, after much controversy, in the Region and on the Continent, the statement was softened, albeit symbolically. Jardim then said he was never against helping the Timorese people, but only that Madeira could not spare the money to give any support. So Uncle Bertie’s blunders go back many years, crossing international boundaries, and upsetting innocent people in very difficult positions through no fault of their own. At least East Timor had the common sense to recognise that the words of one absolute idiot were not the words of a decent and generous people, and thank goodness for that, as that is a sizable and much needed donation to help the recovery of our island … and it comes from one of the poorest countries in the world.

List of the 18 missing people – The number of people going missing in the storm reduced. The number of dead remains at 42.

Government rejects assistance offered by the Azores – They had 9 firemen and equipment ready to load on board to send over here. Santo Costa dismissed the offer, despite of having zones in need of help. The article itself then refers to 12 firemen and a coordinator-inspector, coming from the brigades in Ponta Delgada, Ribeira Grande, and São Miguel, of rescue specialists in areas of difficult access. There is an agreement between the two archipelagos and the Canary Islands to send mutual support in the event of catastrophes. The Azores team was assembled, equipped, and ready to go last Saturday, but on Sunday it was disbanded after those responsible for civil protection on Madeira (Santos Costa and Francisco Ramos Jardim) did not consider the help necessary. Politics over people is seems. Recent friction over the Regional Finance Law, and political differences in government colours are no doubt the underlying factors in my opinion. It is absolutely incredible that when some outlying areas have still not received much needed help, that a couple of idiot politicians could turn their backs on such an offer that had been prepared especially for this purpose, and set up through funding by the European Union.

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.

‘Positive news’ after the flood from Paul, including statistics from The Regional Government of Madeira. Many thanks Paul. Der

Visit of European Commissioner Mr. Johannes Hahn

The European Commissioner Mr. Johannes Hahn will visit the Autonomous Region of Madeira on the 6th and 7th of March to get acquainted with the finance needs to restore Madeira Island.

Show called “A flower to Madeira”

On the 28th of February a show will be organised called “A flower for Madeira”, organized by SIC (private Portuguese television channel) and “Coliseu dos Recreios”, with the patronage of His Excellency the President of Portuguese Republic and the participation of various Portuguese artists, in order to raise funds for Madeira victims.

Museums are reopened.

Next Sunday. Madeira will have the 1st Cruise Ship calling at the harbour of Funchal with 4.500 tourists.

Alternative excursions for tourists: local tourists operators are launching alternative excursions in Madeira Island.

Schools will be reopened Saturday ? and next Monday.

Public services are operating with reduced services and will be normalized soon.

Public transportation, in Funchal, is available with 32 routes.

Statistics:

Deaths estimated: 40

Wounded: 18 people are still in the Hospital.

Missing People: 18

Dislodgments: 563 people, 170 families are reallocated in temporary shelters.

Water Supply : In Ponta do Sol and Ribeira Brava, especially in Serra D’Água and Meia Légua the situation will be restored as soon as possible.

Electricity : Electricity is being established all over the Island, with the exception in small areas.

Communications : Mobile phone connections and fixed communications network are operating in the entire Island.

Solidarity : We inform that there is an official fund which is BANIF – International Bank of Funchal with the IBAN PT 50003800011986711677151 and SWIFT CODE BNLFPTPL.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Do consider only the information given by the Regional Government.

Official information can be followed on : TWITTER MADEIRA ISLANDS TRAVEL

New updates are available on the Government’s official tourism website HERE

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.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Funchal after the floods ; Charity appeal ; and other news headlines from Madeira

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Elize … Funchal, after the flood had gone. I have received loads of photos, many thanks.

Please bear in mind that I am on ‘catch up’ at the moment, 4 days behind, so if anything is posted that no longer seems so relevant, I probably didn’t know … I apologise.

Tess did a piece on her blog about Funchal – ‘An Island in Shock’. "I’m sure you’ll be inundated with pictures – but this is just a written piece". And another : ‘Indomitable spirit’

Paul asked me to post this :

MADEIRA DISASTER COLLECTION : Dioceses Cáritas of Funchal is collecting clothing and other goods to help those most affected by floods in Madeira. They will also inform the local population where the donations can be delivered. However, monetary donations can now be made.

Cáritas Funchal : Address: Calçada do Pico,59 9000-206 – Funchal
Phone:(+351) 291743331
Fax: (+351) 291745714 By sending a fax to this number a receipt will be sent out to you
E-mail: caritasfunchal@netmadeira.com WEBSITE

Needs: Clothes, Diapers and baby food needed, Appliances, School Material, Furniture

Donations: Financial Institution: Banif A/c no 1626371377 or NIB no. 003800011626371377113

This from Don re Madeira disaster donations : Attention here is some extra information that is important :
- (BANIF) IBAN PT 50003800011986711677151 and SWIFT CODE (BIC) BNLFPTPL
- If you use this BANIF bank account, then it gives tax benefits to taxpayers, in accordance with Articles 61 and 62 of the Statute of Tax Benefits.
- There are NO officials of the Regional Administration or City Council that are collecting funds for solidarity among the population. Official source SRTT. Thanks a lot Don

This contribution also from Paul :

VIVA MADEIRA! Coverage of Madeira’s unceasing clean-up

The clean-up operation is being documented & filmed by a BBC team led by the reporter Robert Hall on the BBC news website: HERE

Photos of key Funchal city streets that have already been cleaned in 72 hours! HERE

Videos of key Funchal city streets that have already been cleaned in 72 hours! HERE

Outside the famous ‘Apolo Restaurant’ 72 hours after the flooding: Source: FLICKR

As a benchmark for all visitor accommodation in Madeira: “the hotel industry of Madeira was not affected and maintains all operating conditions safely.”

Statement on the floods from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation: HERE

As for the tourism sector, according to the information provided by the regional government, the hotel industry of Madeira was not affected and maintains all operating conditions safely. Hotel establishments, in general, are operational and there were not reported any difficulties or problems. The Madeira International Airport is also operational. "I am confident that Madeira will continue to count on its solid tourism infrastructure and services, which have made it the destination of excellence it is today." Taleb Rifai, secretary-general of the United Nations World Tourism Organization

Viva Madeira! (long live Madeira)

[Just to change the mood a little] Pete though these links might be of interest :
DINAS DESERTS AZORES FOOD "I have been there a few times. I think they make the best food I have come across, if I was a condemned man my final wish would be one last meal there then you can do what you like ha ha". Thanks Pete.

Tom emailed and said : "Today [last Friday], the brand new dealership of Toyota was officially open in Funchal. I’ve been there. So was Mr. President uncle Bertie. He is a very good talker. His Speech was good and lasted around 15 min. without any prompter or note. During Toyota President speech the lights went off. all was kaput and dark. Fuses could not keep so much power taken from the electrical system. There were two TV stations and maybe four Radios. After we have a very nice reception, including lots of booze and finger food. During radio interview the President was visibly upset about the lack of funds from Lisbon and City staying behind with payments to subcontractors".

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

Difficult situations in the high zones of Funchal. There are suspicions of people buried in the Luso-Brasileira, as a consequence of a movement of an illegal dump in Babosas.

In the road Travessa dos Poços (Monte) residents are evacuated. Many thanks to Ellen for this : Wall at risk of collapse forces evacuation at Monte – Residents of the Travessa dos Poços relocated to homes of relatives. About two dozen people had to leave their homes, on Wednesday, in Travessa dos Poços, parish of Monte. Due to the forecast of rain and a wall at risk of collapse the area was evacuated and the residents relocated to homes of relatives. Speaking to TSF, Duarte Pereira, president of the Parish of Monte hopes that next week a study will be done on the support of the wall to allow the return of residents of Travessa dos Poços to their homes.

Forecasts now admit that the water discharge from Saturday may pass to the side of Madeira.

‘Calamity’ would prevent construction in affected areas.

Today’s main news headline : Solidarity in force – The determination of the Madeirans in the recovery after the storm is having a notable benefit : in the solidarity [fund raising] accounts alone there are €2 million. But groups such as ‘Pingo Doce’ are making their own contributions. The Madeira Beer Company is also restocking outlets in the worst affected areas in Funchal and Ribeira Brava ‘on the house’.

"There is only one Madeira" The president of the Republic thought highly of the recovery effort in Funchal and visited problem areas such as Tabua. He needed to tread in the mud and wander around in the rain, but Cavaco Silva didn’t avoid the problems. "Shoes are plentiful, but there is only one Madeira" he declared. The main picture shows Cavaco in Ribeira Brava, inspecting the remains of the old bridge. The popular view is that the bridge was damaged, probably beyond repair, purely by the force of the water, but that isn’t the full story. One of many stories yet to be told when the dust settles, unless someone can enlighten us beforehand?

500 vehicles damaged – The damage calculations in the ‘car park Madeira’ suggests as much as €7.5 million.

The main sport / football headline today : Solidarity [fund raising] match may be in Madrid – The Spanish football federation forgives the ‘highlighting’ of "Madeira" by CR9 [Cristiano Ronaldo]. Referring to the t-shirt incident of the Madeiran footballer during a Real Madrid match, as mentioned yesterday. It would be shame, but given the low level of support for football matches on Madeira, the potential for fund raising would probably be much greater in Spain, bizarre as it seems.

Ellen has kindly covered some of these stories in the ‘blog comments’ … many thanks.

On the TV news (RTP) this morning, the cost of repairing the flood damage in Funchal has been estimated at €200 million. I guess that is just for public property, and the city businesses will have to claim through their insurance policies.

There has also been a warning on the radio about the quality of water, where supplies were affected by the floods. The advice is to boil water, or add bleach, depending what the water is to be used for.

Just announced at 12.20 pm today by the Regional Government the reinstatement, some with alterations, of many of the bus routes cancelled since Saturday. It was a lot of information, probably best obtained from the website(s) of Horários and Rodoeste.

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 this in :

Friendship and support from Jersey – My homeland has launched an urgent appeal for the victims of the Madeiran floods. The overseas aid charity Jersey Side By Side is urging Islanders to co-ordinate any fundraising efforts into one larger appeal which Side By Side will run and endorse.

It is hoped that as much money as possible can be raised, but also that the appeal will act as a symbol of friendship and support to the Madeiran community both in Jersey and Madeira. Jersey Side By Side chairman Mike Wavell said that Jersey’s close relationship to Madeira meant it was important for Islanders to show their support.

A concert in aid of the appeal is already being organised by a group of young Jersey musicians currently in Madeira. It is hoped the event will take place on Saturday 6 March at St Thomas’ Church. LINK

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

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

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

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’