Isabel Condesso, 68, saw a group of people in suits enter the hairdressing salon, who are looking to recover after the November 1st floods in Albufeira. He spoke to them, told them that he lost everything and that he is living on the 260 euro pension. Then he asked: "What party are you from?" «From everyone», replied Pedro Soares, president of the Parliamentary Committee for the Environment, Spatial Planning and Local Government, who visited the city yesterday to see how the restoration works are proceeding since the bad weather that devastated the county.
The deputy's answer gave Isabel Condesso hope: "That's how it is!". The hairdresser's hope is to recover some of the damage she had, through the Emergency Fund, since her establishment, where she worked with her sister, was not covered by any insurance.
A few dozen meters ahead, on the same street, the group of Commission deputies, as well as those elected by the Algarve, spoke with another merchant, owner of a supermarket, who is waiting for the value of the damage to be reimbursed by insurance, but so far , also nothing arrived.
The estimated value of the damage caused by the floods was revealed by Carlos Silva e Sousa, mayor of Albufeira, to journalists in Praça dos Pescadores: 1 million euros in public works, 3,6 million euros in damages to uninsured individuals and 14 million in losses declared to insurers.
If, in the case of the value declared to insurance companies, deputies cannot do much, in the case of the Emergency Fund, Pedro Soares says that the parliamentary committee will “take measures, within our competences, so that the funds are quickly made available. Today we spoke with insured traders, who are more protected, and uninsured, who are in very difficult situations. It was essential that they were able to recover their trades until the new year. After this visit, the parliamentary groups will take the initiative to seek the Government to make these funds available quickly».
This desire is shared by Carlos Silva e Sousa: «today [yesterday] there is a meeting of the commission that will frame the compensation to individuals. Our municipal technician is there with the files of the individuals that were delivered. I hope this money back for damage coverage is quick. Fast means seeing processes quickly, in one, two, three weeks. The numbers must be well regarded, appreciated, judged, but it must be a quick process».
Isabel Condesso and the other merchants hope so.
«There will be people coming to Albufeira to help Albufeira» on New Year's Eve
Albufeira downtown shows signs of recovery since the weather. They are still working on some terraces and stores so that they can reopen soon, but a good part has already opened. The streets are clean, but paving work is still taking place in some areas that are more affected by the force of the water.
In Albufeira, people are fighting against time: within two weeks there is New Year's Eve and Carlos Silva e Sousa and the merchants hope that this will be a help to recover some of the damage caused on 1 November.
The mayor guarantees that «the public works will be all ready for the holiday period and we will have a great end of the year, which is a party that makes history, not only in Albufeira, but in the Algarve and in the country» .
The mayor says he has "positive" indicators in terms of hotel reservations for the end of the year in the city and is not afraid that the floods could result in a lower influx of people. “If there is an effect on tourism, it is the other way around. This will be another factor of curiosity and solidarity. There will be people coming to Albufeira to help Albufeira», he believes.
Silva e Sousa also revealed that he wants to have the new hydrographic plan of the city ready by 2020.
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