A local request has been directed to Carlos Moedas, the President of the Lisbon City Council (CML), by Beatriz Gomes Dias, a councilor from the BE party. She highlighted significant deficiencies in political and operational management during the blackout in Lisbon, which necessitates explanations regarding the municipal response failures to the electrical supply cut that affected mainland Portugal and neighboring Spain starting on Monday at 11:30 AM.
The BE drew attention to the failures in Lisbon, particularly affecting the movement of emergency and public transportation vehicles. The party noted, “No guarantee was provided, compromising the response in critical areas.”
The BE critiqued the city’s response, stating, “BUS lanes remained blocked, with no intervention to prioritize essential traffic. Traffic management suffered due to inoperative traffic lights, leading to improvisation without Municipal Police coordination. In schools, CML’s lack of communication caused confusion among guardians.” Furthermore, “several” of Lisbon’s 24 parish councils reported a lack of contact and coordination with the CML during the blackout crisis.
The party also emphasized a “notable lack of information to the population” throughout the energy supply crisis.
The BE stated, “These failures reveal substantial inadequacies in the municipal crisis response under President Carlos Moedas’ leadership,” demanding rigorous analysis and accountability identification.
The situation urges an “extraordinary meeting of the CML, with the participation of relevant municipal services, Civil Protection, and Municipal Police,” to analyze the crisis management failures under Carlos Moedas.
In the request, Beatriz Gomes Dias sought to understand what assessment the CML conducted regarding the blackout’s impact on municipal services, transportation, communications, and city security, as well as what contingency measures the CML activated to protect the population and critical services during the blackout.
She inquired, “Is there a plan to develop or revise a specific emergency plan for crisis events, covering transportation, communications, critical energy supply, public safety, and risk communication to the population? What is the explanation for the lack of coordination with parish councils, which are essential for proximity response?” The necessity of an extraordinary meeting for a thorough analysis of crisis management and the definition of corrective measures was stressed.
The BE also expressed “deep appreciation for the tireless work” by Lisbon municipal workers, Municipal Civil Protection, and the Municipal Police, who “under extremely demanding conditions, demonstrated a high sense of mission and professionalism, greatly honoring the city.”
During a press conference, CML President Carlos Moedas reported that 300 operatives from various services, including the Fire Brigade Regiment, Municipal Police, Civil Protection, Volunteer Firefighters, and parish council employees, were mobilized across Lisbon on Monday.
Carlos Moedas acknowledged, “About 200 occurrences directly related to the blackout, primarily involving people stuck in elevators, were resolved,” confirming that no victims were reported.
The President recognized “failures in SIRESP” (Integrated System of Emergency and Security Networks of Portugal) but explained that the fire department has a communication system, particularly a high-wave system (UHF), which “functioned continuously.”
The CML also responded to “various requests for fuel to supply generators for hospital units.”
When asked about considering activating the emergency plan or alert status, Carlos Moedas stated that “everything was always under control,” with the Emergency Operations Center ensuring the internal emergency plan was operational from the outset.
A widespread electrical supply cut impacted mainland Portugal and Spain from 11:30 AM on Monday, although the Azores and Madeira archipelagos were not affected. Power restoration began gradually on Monday afternoon.
Consequences of the blackout included airport closures, transportation and traffic congestion in major cities, and fuel shortages.
Portugal’s electricity distribution network operator, E-Redes, assured this morning that the service has been fully restored and normalized.
