The Civil Protection Service of Madeira today issued recommendations to the population due to the arrival of Depression Oscar. The archipelago is on a red alert for 24 hours, from 15:00 hours on Monday.
Due to this worsening of the meteorological situation, the Civil Protection recommends, in a statement, that travel to the affected areas and the circulation through areas where there are degraded buildings be avoided due to the risk of landslides and collapsing buildings.
It also calls for due attention to be paid to assembled structures, such as scaffolding, awnings, screens, and roofs, which can be affected by wind gusts and the possibility of falling trees.
It also advises drivers to adopt a defensive driving attitude, reduce their speed and drive with caution due to the formation of puddles and water sheets. In addition, they ask everyone to ensure that all watercourses are clear to allow for the free flow of stormwater.
In the document, the civil authority also advises against walking routes, especially in mountainous areas, exposed slopes, and coastal areas.
The information regarding the worsening of the weather is based on the contacts established between the Regional Command of Relief Operations and the Portuguese Institute of Atmosphere and Sea (IPMA).
The Madeiran Civil Protection points out that this meteorological situation covers the entire archipelago of Madeira, with “periods of persistent and temporarily strong rain or showers, accompanied by thunderstorms, especially between the end of Monday and the end of the afternoon of Tuesday.”
As for the wind, it points out that it will be predominant from the south or southwest, temporarily moderate to strong (30 to 45 kilometers per hour), from late Monday morning, and until late Wednesday afternoon, with gusts that could reach 95 kilometers in the mountainous regions.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, waves along the southwest coast will reach 3.5 meters and 2.5 along the north coast.
The red warning, the most severe on a scale of five, is issued for the southern coast and mountainous regions of Madeira, and yellow for the island of Porto Santo.
Porto Santo Line, the concessionaire of the maritime links between the islands of Madeira, said that due to bad weather conditions “that jeopardise the safety of passengers and the ship, the trip from Monday Porto Santo to Funchal scheduled for 18:00 hours will be brought forward to midday.”
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
