Santarém District Activates the Tagus Flood Plan at Blue Level as the River Spills Onto Car Parks at Constância and Almourol
Rain in Portugal and Spain after Depression Charles has pushed the Tagus above the flood plan's trigger flow at Almourol. Blue is the lowest of four levels, but more rain is forecast. Here is what residents near the river should do.
The Comissão Distrital de Proteção Civil de Santarém (Santarém District Civil Protection Commission) activated the Plano Especial de Emergência para Cheias na Bacia do Tejo (Special Emergency Plan for Floods in the Tagus Basin) at 08:10 on Thursday 12 November, at blue level, the lowest of its four alert states. Lusa, in a report carried by Observador, said the decision followed rain in Portugal and Spain that has raised the level of the Tagus and its tributaries in the wake of Depression Charles.
At the Almourol gauging station in Vila Nova da Barquinha, the river was carrying about 1,400 cubic metres per second on Thursday morning, above the 1,200 cubic metres per second at which the plan is activated, according to Lusa. The flow there reflects releases from the dams upstream, including Fratel, Pracana and Castelo do Bode.
What is under water so far
A 10:30 statement from the Comando Regional de Emergência e Proteção Civil de Lisboa e Vale do Tejo (Lisbon and Tagus Valley Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command), quoted by Lusa, reported that about 20 percent of the car park in Constância was submerged, as was about 20 percent of the quay and car park at Almourol.
Manuel Jorge Valamatos, who chairs the district commission, told Lusa the activation was preventive and that "there is no situation at this moment that justifies greater concern". Blue means closer monitoring of river flows and preventive measures; it does not mean widespread flooding. The plan's other levels are yellow, orange and red, the last for the risk of serious floods and extensive inundation.
Civil Protection expects the dams in the Tagus basin to keep releasing large volumes in the coming hours and the tributaries to stay high over the next few days. The regional command is monitoring the river with the Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente (Portuguese Environment Agency) and the dam operators.
For comparison, the same plan reached red in February this year, when the flow at Almourol peaked at 9,057 cubic metres per second in the early hours of 6 February, flooding riverside areas of the Médio Tejo and the Lezíria; it was stood down on 27 February.
More rain on the way
There are no orange or red weather warnings in force on the mainland on Thursday afternoon. IPMA, the weather institute, has yellow rain warnings for Viana do Castelo, Braga, Porto, Vila Real, Aveiro and Viseu from 15:00 on Thursday to 06:00 on Friday, and yellow warnings for rough seas in Setúbal, Beja and Faro. Its forecast for Santarém shows showers or rain every day until at least Monday 16 November. Charles itself brought red warnings to several mainland districts on Wednesday; our report on its passage has the details.
What residents near the Tagus should do
Civil Protection warns of urban flooding from rainwater, streams bursting their banks, landslides and disruption on the roads. Its advice for people in the Tagus valley, together with the standing flood guidance in ANEPC's Charles update:
- Move vehicles, farm and industrial equipment and other goods out of areas that usually flood.
- Bring animals and flocks kept beside rivers and streams to safety.
- Do not park in riverside areas that have flooded quickly in the past, and avoid underground garages and car parks.
- Do not cross flooded roads or submerged ground, on foot or by car: the water can hide hazards and sweep a vehicle away.
- Avoid tunnels, where water can rise quickly.
- Follow the instructions of your municipal civil protection service and the emergency services. In an emergency, call 112.
