Storm Martinho leaves trail of destruction and full dams // The Americans fleeing Trump for Portugal
Portuguese news in English on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
Storm Martinho leaves trail of destruction and full dams
The clean-up continues after Storm Martinho, which Público reports caused more than 7800 incidents, leaving seven people injured, one seriously, and 82,000 homes and businesses without power. Fierce winds knocked down branches, trees and billboards, damaging cars and buildings on Wednesday and Thursday, particularly throughout greater Lisbon. The strongest wind gust recorded was 169.2km/h, roughly equivalent to a strong category two or weak category three cyclone. At least 15 people were forced from their homes in Lourinhã – near Peniche – where tiles were ripped from roofs. One woman aged about 30 was seriously injured when she was hit by a tree when walking near Lagoa Azul, in Sintra, on Wednesday. Another falling tree hit the car of a couple driving to Serra de Sintra at 2am on Thursday in the middle of the storm. Five firefighters rescued them but couldn’t leave the area until 7am because “trees kept falling” in the area. Público has a gallery of some of the most dramatic images.
Dozens of roads across the country were temporarily cut, along with the Cascais rail line in greater Lisbon. Agriculture was hit hard, particularly greenhouses in the West and coastal Alentejo, a farmers’ group said. One strawberry farmer said damage in just one operation topped €300,000. But it wasn't all bad news for farmers, with dams refilled enough to hopefully stave off drought for another two to three years, Público reports. “Water is life,” summed up olive grower Bruno Cantinho. Most of the country's river basins are in the 90% full range, with only a few in the western Algarve still below 50%.
Another 40 incidents were reported on Sunday morning, including another 12 fallen trees and three more structures, Lusa reports. Authorities blamed the wet ground following the storm but said conditions were “much calmer”. A warning was issued on Sunday about increased flows in the Tejo River thanks to the rain in Portugal and Spain, along with dam releases over the border, Público reports. One small village in the Ribatejo was left isolated and several farming routes cut but the problems weren’t expected to worsen. The government has launched an emergency fund to help with up to €5 million in repairs to restaurants, such as those in Atrium Saldanha and others, that were severely damaged, Expresso reports.
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