Portimão will mark World Tsunami Awareness Day by participating in the regional exercise ‘PROCIVALG_24.2,’ which will test Portimão’s Municipal Civil Protection Emergency Plan.
As usual, on 5 November, Portimão will participate in the national public awareness exercise ‘A Terra Treme’ (The Earth Shakes) and the supra-municipal exercise ‘PROCIVALG_24.2’.
According to the fictitious scenario defined, at 11.05 a.m. on this day, there will be an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.7 on the Richter scale, with its epicentre on the Goringe bank fault, 228.6 km WNW of Faro. This earthquake will cause the partial collapse of the old Penina casino, next to the EN 125, in Alvor. The response will be tested in terms of Search and Rescue in Collapsed Structures (BREC), shoring, triage, and evacuation of victims.
Likewise, the Portimão Municipal Civil Protection Service will be notified, via the Algarve Regional Command of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority, of the existence of a tsunami alert, following which the sirens of the public warning system installed in Praia da Rocha and the city’s riverside area will be activated and the procedures established for evacuation and containment will be developed, thus promoting another test of the Municipal Civil Protection Emergency Plan (PMEPC).
In Silves, the fictitious scenario will be based on the partial collapse of an old metallurgical factory after the earthquake, the collapse of bridges over the River Arade and accidents involving hazardous materials at the Municipal Swimming Pools. The search and rescue of people in collapsed structures, as well as shoring and urban firefighting after the earthquake, will be tested.
Portimão will also take part in the regional effort, projecting capabilities for exceptional situations to reinforce the Municipality of Silves. Emphasis will be on the Module for the installation of a ZCAP (Population Concentration and Support Zone) and the Logistical Module to support the Operational Command Post, which will be installed next to the Silves Health Centre.
The regional exercise ‘PROCIVALG_24.2’ is designed as a practice drill for search, rescue, and salvage services. It will be played out in Live Exercise mode, LIVEX, which will help test the PEERST-ALG (Special Emergency Plan for Seismic and Tsunami Risk in the Algarve), which is currently being revised.
The aim of this exercise is to promote the operational training of Civil Protection Agents (APC) and Support Organisations and Entities (OEA), especially in the areas of Search and Rescue in Collapsed Structures (BREC), shoring up buildings, aquatic search and rescue operations, urban firefighting and intervention with hazardous materials.
At the same time, procedures will be carried out for primary evacuation, triage, operating an Advanced Medical Post (AMP) and secondary evacuation, as well as emergency psychological and social support.
The importance of testing procedures
Based on the data from the Algarve’s seismic and tsunami risk simulator, there is a very high potential for destruction, especially of residential buildings, health facilities, schools, sports centres, and road/rail works of art.
The scenario will allow simultaneous testing of the emergency plans at regional and municipal levels, which will be implemented in the case of a major seismic event followed by a tsunami. In this context, Portimão will also test the evacuation and containment areas, validating the changes recommended in the process of revising the Municipal Emergency and Civil Protection Plan (PMEPC), which, after being in public consultation, has moved on to the approval phase.
This training opportunity for the response forces will make it possible to assess the suitability of the lessons learnt in the exercise carried out in 2023, which tested the mechanisms inherent in evacuation, opting this year to exercise containment procedures.
Citizens are the first Civil Protection agents.
On 5 November, at 11.05 a.m., and for one minute, Portimão invites the entire population to join the national exercise ‘A Terra Treme’ (The Earth Shakes) and practice the three life-saving gestures—Lower, Protect, and Wait—by participating in the evacuation exercise to be held in Praia da Rocha.
Residents should not be alarmed by the sound of the tsunami warning system sirens or by the actual movement of combat and rescue resources on the public highway. These events will take place between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Avenida Tomás Cabreira and during the afternoon in the vicinity of the old casino that operated in the Penina area, next to the EN125.
The exercise taking place in Praia da Rocha will also be broadcast directly on Portimão’s social networks.
