In Algoz, you have never seen so much water in the streets, as on Sunday, November 1st. After hours and hours of intense rain, the river that runs under a large part of the village, piped, overflowed and people despaired without seeing the firemen or other means of civil protection that could help them arrive.
In addition to flooding on the ground floors, basements and garages, and the wall of a garage that collapsed due to the force of the water, there was no more serious damage. But social networks were inundated with criticism of the alleged delay in aid in Algoz.
Nelson Correia, commander of the Municipal Civil Protection of Silves, told the Sul Informação that “at the time when things were more serious in Algoz there were many occurrences throughout the county, with everything happening at the same time”.
In fact, Silves, with 34 occurrences, of which «31 were in fact urban floods or floods in watercourses in urban or adjacent areas», was the municipality of the Algarve that registered the highest number of cases (the fact that the floods in Albufeira and Quarteira be treated as a single occurrence).
What happened in Algoz, in Tunis, in Alcantarilha or Pera, the localities most affected by the storm that hit the central Algarve on Sunday, did not reach the scale of the damage in Albufeira, but caused damage and, above all, many fears of those who, seeing the waters rising, did not know what could happen.
In all, there was a need to carry out 13 rescues of people trapped by the waters (five in Alcantarilha and eight in Algoz/Tunes) and the need to relocate nine of these people.
These were housed in the Hostel of the Casa do Povo of São Bartolomeu de Messines, which provided its facilities free of charge. The displaced people also had the support of the delegation from Silves/Albufeira of the Portuguese Red Cross, which provided specialized technicians (psychologists), transport and clothing for the affected people, as well as the Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Alcantarilha.
Luís Direito, regular collaborator of the Sul Informação in the field of photography, he was one of those homeless. With his wife and mother-in-law, they had to be removed from their house near Pera, when it was flooded by a torrent of water and mud, after the neighboring stream had overflowed and burst a wall.
Although the entire lower part of the house and its contents were destroyed, Luís Direito still avoided greater damage because, in the middle of the afternoon, when he couldn't even leave the house to go shopping in his jeep, he decided to put his cars and motorcycle. in a higher place on your property.
«Around 20:15, we heard a huge bang, we deduced right away that the wall had not resisted and it was total despair. We went to see and it was a flood of water and mud coming towards us. We went to the living room and removed what we could, as quickly as possible, and what we couldn't, we put on top of the furniture», says Luís Direito on his personal Facebook page.
«We were without light and it was lucky, because we didn't even remember that, when we were in the room without flooding, we could have been electrocuted. But the icy water and despair was too much and we were powerless in the [higher] kitchen watching the water invade the room and destroy everything, the furniture floating and overturning, finally it is indescribable», he says.
"What seemed very unlikely happened, despite all the precautions we took in the past to reinforce dikes, build walls, clean up streams."
After several desperate contacts asking for help, late at night, when they thought that no one would save them, help came from the Firefighters and the União de Freguesias Pera e Alcantarilha. With the vehicles all terrain truly through the bush, help arrived and the three people were eventually rescued, having spent the night at the hostel in Messines. Also the neighbors, an elderly English couple and some Portuguese, were removed, with only a few animals having died.
Nelson Correia, responsible for Civil Protection in Silves, added that, despite these situations, nothing more serious happened, especially because, warned of the expected storm, the Municipal Civil Protection decided, in advance, still on Friday, to open the dune cord in Armação de Pêra, thus facilitating the flow of water that might accumulate in the Alcantarilha stream, as it actually happened.
«The opening of the dune cord was decided to guarantee the flow of water in the historic part of Armação de Pêra, where, in fact, there were no relevant floods, and to drain the water from the stream and its entire hydrographic basin».
The intervention, opening the river's exit to the sea, “was decisive for not having floods in Armação, but ended up preventing that, upstream, the consequences of the floods were even worse. It was very important to drain the entire water line that comes from Tunes, Algoz and Alcantarilha», stressed Nelson Correia in statements to Sul Informação.
On the municipality's beaches, and also as a preventive measure, sand was placed, with the help of tracking machines, to defend the beach supports more exposed to the action of the sea.
As for the cases of flooding, the person responsible for Civil Protection in Silvense states that, “as happened now, there is no record of a situation like this in Algoz. But it was 10 hours of torrential rain!».
97 operational and 37 vehicles participated in the operations, with various entities involved, from the City Council, the Fire Departments of Silves and Messines, the Parish Councils, the Portuguese Red Cross (Silves/Albufeira Delegation), the National Republican Guard (GNR) (territorial detachment and GIPS), the Casa do Povo of São Bartolomeu de Messines and other private entities that cooperated with the authorities.
Over the course of the day, several ways of communication were re-established and water lines were cleared, with support from the Municipality's Machinery and Vehicles Unit and parish councils.
Areas at risk of collapse were signaled and confined, and drainage systems were also evaluated and restored, in order to ensure the greatest possible flow of water.
During the following days (Monday and Tuesday) a risk analysis and return to normality was carried out, with these interventions being coordinated by the Municipal Civil Protection Service and carried out with the support of the Machinery and Vehicles Unit, logistics team, teams from the road network, Urban Services and Environment Division and the Social Action sector.
Mayor Rosa Palma accompanied the work and visited some of the most affected places and people.
We transcribe it in full, as it is a drama-filled first-person account, the post by Luís Direito, one of the victims of the floods in the municipality of Silves:
«Chronicle of the floods in Alcantarilha:
We went to a cousin's wedding on Saturday, and on Sunday we went home listening to the radio. As we got closer, we were getting alarmed: “full in Albufeira”, “red warning” etc, etc, etc, but it never crossed our minds the true proportions of the catastrophe, or that it wouldn't even hit us as it did.
We arrived in Alcantarilha after heavy rains already on entering the Algarve, and still crossed the bridge to reach home, but when we arrived on the other side of the river, there were fallen and desperate walls, as we could no longer turn back, as the water it went up quickly, we called the fire department, GNR, Civil Protection, but nothing, no one showed up, and the GNR didn't have any vehicles to cross and help us, so they were alert and contacted us from time to time.
The only solution was to make our way home and Vi and I had to roll up our sleeves and remove the stones from the path (some weighing more than 80-90kg) for almost an hour, until we managed to get through and get home, where everything was normal for our relief. We were aware, however, of the heavy rains that had occurred, due to the 40 cm mark of garbage brought by the flood and which was clearly marked on the gate.
However, the water continued to rise and, later, I decided to go buy bread and take a look at the bridge that has always been our reference for the level of floods, but even in the old 4×4, I could no longer cross the bridge, so I had to go home and wait and pray the water wouldn't keep rising, which was only temporary.
At around 19 pm, the dykes separating the farm from the stream burst at some points and, in about 00 minutes, one hectare was completely flooded and reached the walls that separate the property from the house, which had already resisted for 30 years. , when the water was about 10 cm from the top of this wall
At around 19 pm, the dykes separating the farm from the stream burst in some points and, in about 00 minutes, about 30 hectare was completely flooded and reached the walls that separate the property from the house, which had previously resisted for a while. about 1 years, when the water was about 10 cm from the top of this wall.
As it was already night and I didn't realize very well if the water continued to rise or not, for the sake of it, I removed the vehicles from the lower part and placed them at the foot of the kitchen of the house, where it is about 1,3m higher , because here the water never arrived, even in past temples, there were no reports.
Around 20:15, when we were eating chicken soup, we heard a huge bang, we deduced right away that the wall had not resisted and it was total despair. We went to see and it was a flood of water and mud coming towards us. We went into the living room and removed what we could as quickly as possible and what we couldn't put on top of the furniture.
We were left without light and it was lucky, as we didn't even remember that, being in the already semi-flooded room, we could have been electrocuted. But the cold water and the despair was too much and we were powerless in the kitchen watching the water invade the room and destroy everything, the furniture floating and turning, it's indescribable.
But what seemed very unlikely happened, despite all the precautions we took in the past to reinforce dikes, build walls, clean up streams (which neither neighbors nor anyone cares to clean and keep unsoiled, but that will change, or I won't my name is Luís Direito), etc, etc, etc.
At this time, everything was going through my head at a dizzying speed and the priority was to calm down and go to sleep, as there was nothing to do, as now not even the vehicles could leave the house, as the water reached almost to the gate and even the 4×4 would be difficult to pass on the paths already impractical and destroyed by the flood.
I live in Pêra and my house is only 800 m from the center of Alcantarilha and the other side of the bridge, but I don't have public water, the public lighting only arrived at my door this year (due to much insistence and persistence of the President of the Board, Mr. João Palma), there are no public sewers, there is no garbage collection, there is no postman, and although there are four paths, one is not even on foot, in another only 4×4, the bridge that we use. every day, when it rains a little more, it becomes unusable, and a 4th, which is private and despite having to keep it open because it has always been useful to those who live in this area, the owners decided to close it.
Therefore, we are isolated 800 m from civilization and because we are just 3 families living in this paradise/hell, there is little to do if there is no real political will.
This was very ugly, I'm just telling you, I've been in big trouble and I've always managed to save myself, but it was all alone. Now with people under our responsibility, everything changes
As you can see, my chances of escape were exhausted and, if it were just me, everything was fine, but we have with us my mother-in-law, who is barely walking due to a fall on Saturday and suffers from Alzheimer's, so in despair for them and out of caution, as the water continued to rise, I decided to call my friend José Marques, former president of the board of Pêra and who, by a miracle, was meeting with the president of the board, Mr. João Palma, and who knew what it took place in Albufeira and other areas, where all the Fire and Civil Protection were, but they were going to let me know if I was going to progress, or start to lower the waters.
This was very ugly, I'm just telling you, I've been in big trouble and I've always managed to save myself, but it was all alone. Now with people under our responsibility, everything changes.
José Marques and João Palma called the Mayor and managed to alert the Civil Protection and the Fire Department and were not contemplating and came by a very bad road to rescue us.
We were all already in bed and my mother-in-law had taken sleeping pills and painkillers because of her leg, when José Marques calls me to say they were arriving, coming from I don't know where.
I dressed in a hurry and under heavy rain I went to see the way to the gate and decided to cut a fence and pull out pillars that were firmly embedded in the ground, when the Fire Brigade and the Parish Council van arrived.
They took us all away and I managed to get the 4×4 out on this improvised path (and where you almost turned, but despite everything it behaved very well). I was the last to leave and didn't even know where to go, but about 300 m ahead they were waiting for me, it was 22:45 at night and we went to a Hostel in Messines.
Once again in my life I was evicted, the last one was in 1975, on 25 September, now 40 years old, when we had to abandon everything in Angola and return to Portugal with nothing.
I've always had an idea of what it's like to lose something, and we always get up, but it gets more and more difficult and complicated, it's not easy.
Still in the Parish Council where the Civil Protection went to collect us, I gave the cell phones of the neighbors, the Prates family and the English couple Jon, all elderly. And if the first ones didn't even hear anyone calling them, the second ones were already completely isolated and without any possibility of rescue by land, so much was the water and they all fled to the 1st floors of their homes. They lost everything they had at the R/ch level and many animals from the Prates died.
There was no electricity, the well was covered with polluted water, garbage everywhere, everything spoiled and destroyed, except for the car and the motorcycle that, the night before, he had placed at the highest point, behind the house, and the rooms on the first floor, where the clever Mingas and Gris, our brave cats, stayed
The next morning, I returned home, following the same winding escape route the night before, I still couldn't get to the house. Upon reaching the upper part of the kitchen, I saw that the water still had the audacity to enter 30 cm above the level of the kitchen.
There was no electricity, the well was covered with polluted water, garbage everywhere, everything spoiled and destroyed, except for the car and the motorcycle that, the night before, he had placed at the highest point, behind the house, and the rooms on the first floor, where the clever Mingas and Gris, our brave cats, stayed.
Now it's going to be throwing everything in the trash, making use of what little you can, seeing if I can get the water out of the well to at least have good water for home consumption, because for drinking and cooking, we've always used bottled water for 15 years .
I thank José Marques and João Palma for having done everything to save us and the Mayor of Silves for having been concerned and for coming to visit us and seeing the calamity with their own eyes and providing help from the Council, if needed, as well as to the brave Firefighters, who were tireless that night, and the members of the Civil Protection, who always accompanied us and supported us in everything, to Rita and Orlando, who “just” showed up at the door yesterday without warning, armed with rubber boots, brooms and mops , and a lot of motivation, and to Cristina, who also came by public transport from Portimão, as well as to my colleagues and friends, who keep calling to provide help and accommodation.
A very special hug to Paula and Toni, who, despite being on the other side of the planet, in Mozambique, called me while I was still a little sleepy in Messines, making their house available and helping whenever possible. We have many good friends.
In a little while, the insurance expert will come to see what she can do to give us as little as possible for all this misfortune».
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