LISBON: Heavy rain battered parts of the Iberian peninsula on Tuesday, flooding streets, sweeping away cars and forcing authorities in Portugal to close some roads and mobilise the armed forces to support clean-up efforts.

The Lisbon mayor’s office put the city on a “red” warning and urged people to stay home and avoid commuting to the capital in the estuary of the Tagus River.

Since midnight, the civil protection authority has reported nearly 1,500 incidents across Portugal, mainly in Lisbon and the districts of Santarem, Portalegre and Evora, including flooded streets, tunnels, train stations and shops.

A spokesperson for the armed forces said civil authorities had asked for help to pump out water in flooded areas.

Schools in Oeiras, part of the Lisbon district, shut and students were sent home.

The emergency plan for the Tagus River has been activated, meaning there is a risk it could overflow.

Weather agency IPMA said rainfall was likely to remain “strong and persistent” throughout the rest of the day. The mayor’s office said earlier on Tuesday city buses and trams were not operating, the metro was not fully functioning and some train stations were inaccessible due to flooding.

Adverse weather conditions also brought Lisbon’s metropolitan area to a standstill last Wednesday, when one person died in a flooded basement.

Supermarket owner Elia Santos said water had entered her store last week but “this time was worse”, estimating she might have lost at least 6,000 euros without counting the electrical appliances.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2022