"After the surveys, which are one of the legal requirements", it will be decided by the Government whether or not a state of public calamity in Albufeira will be declared, said the minister of Internal Administration, during his visit to downtown Albufeira, where the effects of the damage caused by yesterday's floods.
In statements he has just given to journalists, Minister João Calvão e Silva guaranteed the “greater commitment [of the Government] to finding solutions” and said that “after the surveys, which are one of the requirements for the operation of the law, obviously if they if they do, they apply».
The government official pointed out that the survey of all damages, in infrastructure and public and private goods, is being carried out by the Municipality of Albufeira, adding that, if the mayor «needs help, if he verifies that the law is to apply , it will be applied».
"With this or another Government", the public calamity will be declared, "as long as the legal requirements are verified and only to that extent", stressed the minister.
Calvão e Silva admitted that “these people need immediate help” and “this immediate help is a word of human solidarity, of presence, regardless of the time horizon of this Government. As far as I am concerned, I would be here even if I was no longer a minister at night».
Not committing himself, at least for now, with the declaration of the state of calamity, the Minister of Internal Administration considered that the prevention and response to this situation "worked well", at the level of "operational forces and commands". "Portugal can trust its Civil Protection forces," he stressed.
The government official, who, accompanied by the mayor of Albufeira, visited the downtown area of the city, talking to people who, since morning, have been trying to clean up and recover from the damage, said that "the alerts worked", "but the normal preventive measures were not sufficient'.
«Our forces worked very well, preventively», reinforced the minister, who attributed the extent of the damage to «nature's fury» that befell Albufeira.
In his statements to journalists, he also made a point of regretting that "many lost, perhaps, what they gained in a lifetime", but stressed the "great will power in the fight against adversity", the "life lesson", that the merchants , residents and business people affected by the floods are giving at this time.
"I am pleased to note the work of many volunteers, the mutual help between neighbors and beyond," he added.
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