The President of the Republic today urged the Portuguese to follow “all the instructions” that national authorities will issue in the coming days to deal with the expected heat wave, and to be “very careful” in preventing fires.
“I leave here a plea for all of us to, in the first place, be very careful in prevention, to avoid fires, and to follow all the authorities’ instructions: whether from health authorities, in the sense of proper hydration and ensuring that the most vulnerable people protect themselves from this heat wave, or from Civil Protection with regard to fire prevention,” António José Seguro said in statements to journalists at the end of a meeting with Portuguese businessmen in Paris.
The President of the Republic stated that, in the face of the heat wave, “public authorities have a responsibility,” but citizens do as well.
“Each of us, as citizens, also has the duty to prevent and do everything, everything, everything, in the face of this onslaught of the announced heat wave. And this is the appeal that the President of the Republic directs to the whole country,” he said.
António José Seguro added that he has spoken with the Prime Minister about this matter and recalled that the issue of forest fires has been a concern of his since taking office.
“Indeed, also reflected in the report I prepared during the open presidency, about the situation of there being a lot of forest material that is on the ground,” he said.
In these remarks to journalists, António José Seguro was also asked whether he thinks there should be a social pact in Portugal to deal with the housing crisis.
The President of the Republic replied that access to housing in Portugal “is extremely difficult” and argued that “policies must be developed to promote that access for all brackets, for all families and for all incomes.”
Seguro specifically noted that younger generations are having “a lot of difficulty” in finding a home, stressing that when looking at the statistics, the average age at which young people leave their parents’ home is around 30 years.
“Now, this is unacceptable for a younger generation that needs its autonomy, its independence,” he said.
Seguro acknowledged that the response to this matter must come from a “set of policies that have to be implemented,” adding that the Government “has just launched a set of simplification processes for reconstruction and for works.”
“There are some construction projects underway and, therefore, public policies have a relevant role here,” he said.
Regarding whether he has already received the Parliament’s bill on the Single Social Benefit (PSU), Seguro said no and indicated that, “when it arrives, the President will have time to make his decision.”
Health authorities foresee an increase in mortality in the coming days, during which a heat wave is expected, with maximum temperatures that could reach 44 degrees, said today the Secretary of State for Health, Ana Povo.
The official stressed that this information reinforces the importance of anticipating preventive and protective measures for people at greater risk, such as the elderly, children, pregnant women and people with chronic illnesses.
The districts of Lisbon and Setúbal will be under red alert because of the heat from Thursday, extending on Friday to Coimbra and Leiria, according to IPMA.
The red alert is the most severe and comes at a time when Portugal enters a period of high temperatures, with maximums that can reach 44 degrees and minimums between 24°C and 28°C.
