“Considering the situation at hand, it is never too much to recall the self-protection measures that the population can and should adopt in these circumstances,” stated Rui Andrade in a declaration sent to the newsrooms.
The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) reports that Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle might reach the Azores as a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, causing a worsening of weather conditions from late Thursday.
The IPMA has issued weather warnings for all the islands of the Azores, with the Western group islands (Flores and Corvo) under a red warning (the highest level) for precipitation, wind, and maritime agitation starting from late Thursday, while the Central group islands (Terceira, Graciosa, São Jorge, Pico, and Faial) are under a red warning for wind and maritime agitation.
“It means we will have gusts of 150 km/h, with the maximum possibly exceeding that,” warned the president of the Azores Civil Protection.
In light of this scenario, Rui Andrade advised the population to check for loose objects near their homes and either secure or store them and to ensure the “clearing of drainage infrastructures, namely roofs, terraces, patios, and balconies.”
He further urged the population to avoid “staying and traveling in forested areas” and to avoid “circulating and staying near the coastline.”
He also advised “restricting pedestrian and vehicular circulation during the critical period” and “limiting circulation to only what is strictly necessary.”
Lastly, the president of the Azores Civil Protection advised the population to follow information from official entities.
“An informed population is a prepared population. Pay attention to the information conveyed by the official entities; that is the only important thing,” he emphasized.
In the Western group islands, the red warning for heavy precipitation is in effect from 21:00 on Thursday (22:00 in Lisbon) until 06:00 on Friday.
The IPMA has also issued a red warning for maritime agitation from 00:00 to 09:00 on Friday, with southwest waves turning north, with maximum waves potentially reaching 14 to 18 meters.
The red warning for wind on these two islands is from 00:00 to 06:00 on Friday, with winds blowing from the east, turning north.
In the Central group islands, there is a red warning for wind from 00:00 to 09:00 on Friday, with wind direction from south turning northwest.
The IPMA has also issued a red warning for the same group, valid from 03:00 to 12:00 on Friday, for maritime agitation, with southwest waves turning northwest, with maximum waves potentially reaching 14 to 18 meters.
