2010 Madeira floods and mudslides
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Madeira floods and mudslides were the result of an extreme weather
event that affected Madeira Island in Portugal
's autonomous Madeira
archipelago
on 20 February 2010. At least 42 people died and at least 100 were injured.
The floods and mudslides were the result of an extreme weather event that, in some places, dropped more than double the monthly average of rainfall in a very short period. Between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. local time (and UTC
), 108 mm (4¼ inches) of rain was recorded at Funchal
weather station and 165 mm (6½ inches) of rain at the weather station on Pico do Arieiro
. The average rainfall in Funchal for the whole of February is 88.0 mm (3½ inches).
The city of Funchal
was heavily damaged by landslides. In one instance, mud and water gushed down a city street over cars and buildings. Communications were seriously disrupted across the island.
Amid the destruction, the airport was closed, bridges were washed away, and one man saw his family swept off by the waters. One hotel manager commented, "This was worse than the last really big storm in 1993. We have been told that three inches of rain fell in an hour. I saw a new BMW floating past the end of my street today."
and an Atlantic
low-pressure area that was over the Azores
and moved northeastwards on 19 February 2010.
This storm was one in a series of such storms that have affected Spain, Portugal, Morocco and the Canary Islands with flooding rain and high winds. These storms have been bolstered by an unusually strong temperature contrast of the sea surface across the Atlantic Ocean. Abnormally warm waters have been widespread off West Africa whereas relatively cold surface waters have stretched between western Europe and the southeastern United States.
Comment: The storm was exacerbated by the eruption cloud of the Soufriere Hills volcano (See Yim et al. in deWind (2010) Volcanoes and storms. Geoscientist Vol. 20 No. 6 pages 11–12 for details.
José Sócrates
said he was "absolutely saddened and shocked with the images, with the consequences of this calamity." He promised the government would provide help to ensure Madeira could begin recovery work as quickly as possible. Sócrates and Interior Minister Rui Pereira
planned a flight to the island to examine and evaluate the damages and to coordinate aid efforts with the local autonomous government of Alberto João Jardim
. Local government authorities have made temporary shelters available for the homeless, estimated in the hundreds. Interior Minister Rui Pereira has also flown to the island. A naval frigate, containing medical equipment and a helicopter, was sent to Madeira. The Portuguese government is considering whether to declare a state of emergency
in the region. It may seek funds from the European Union
.
The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs
announced it was unaware if any of its citizens were in the region.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office
initially said the same, but it is now known that five Britons sustained injuries, and one is missing. As of 26 February, Portuguese official sources reported 42 dead and 8 missing, of whom only one was a tourist.
Reconstruction and cleaning work started a few hours after the rainfall. On the same day, several dozen units of heavy machinery and trucks were seen in the streets of Funchal and other major affected sites, cleaning streets as well as rocks and mud accumulated in the "ribeiras". In the next few days this number peaked to several hundred heavy units and trucks operating in all affected sites. In spite of some access restrictions in the centre of Funchal and some other parts of the island, all services were soon fully functional and normal life was restored. All tourist resorts were unaffected by the event, with exception of a few small hotels inland, where some blocked roads caused access restrictions. While full restoration of all affected infrastructure may take up to a few years and cost around 1,4 billion euros, most of the island is fully functional.
footballer and noted Madeiran Cristiano Ronaldo
played in a charity match in Madeira, between the Portuguese Liga
club Porto and players from Madeiran-based Portuguese Liga clubs C.S. Marítimo and Nacional.
On 7 March 2010, the Mota-Engil
group announced that it would make an investment of 1,2 million euros to build 10 houses for those who were made homeless as a result of the floods.
Extreme weather
Extreme weather includes weather phenomena that are at the extremes of the historical distribution, especially severe or unseasonal weather. The most commonly used definition of extreme weather is based on an event's climatological distribution. Extreme weather occurs only 5% or less of the time...
event that affected Madeira Island in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
's autonomous Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
on 20 February 2010. At least 42 people died and at least 100 were injured.
Casualties
As of February 26, 2010, there were 42 confirmed deaths. However, with at least eight people still missing, the final death toll is still uncertain.Effects
Damage was confined to the south of the island.The floods and mudslides were the result of an extreme weather event that, in some places, dropped more than double the monthly average of rainfall in a very short period. Between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. local time (and UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
), 108 mm (4¼ inches) of rain was recorded at Funchal
Funchal
Funchal is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira. The city has a population of 112,015 and has been the capital of Madeira for more than five centuries.-Etymology:...
weather station and 165 mm (6½ inches) of rain at the weather station on Pico do Arieiro
Pico do Arieiro
Pico do Arieiro, at 1818 meters high , is the Madeira Island's third highest peak. The footpath northwards towards Pico Ruivo is an important tourist attraction, with a daily average of 1000 tourists trekking on it....
. The average rainfall in Funchal for the whole of February is 88.0 mm (3½ inches).
The city of Funchal
Funchal
Funchal is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira. The city has a population of 112,015 and has been the capital of Madeira for more than five centuries.-Etymology:...
was heavily damaged by landslides. In one instance, mud and water gushed down a city street over cars and buildings. Communications were seriously disrupted across the island.
Amid the destruction, the airport was closed, bridges were washed away, and one man saw his family swept off by the waters. One hotel manager commented, "This was worse than the last really big storm in 1993. We have been told that three inches of rain fell in an hour. I saw a new BMW floating past the end of my street today."
Causes
The rainfall was associated with an active cold frontCold front
A cold front is defined as the leading edge of a cooler mass of air, replacing a warmer mass of air.-Development of cold front:The cooler and denser air wedges under the less-dense warmer air, lifting it...
and an Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
low-pressure area that was over the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
and moved northeastwards on 19 February 2010.
This storm was one in a series of such storms that have affected Spain, Portugal, Morocco and the Canary Islands with flooding rain and high winds. These storms have been bolstered by an unusually strong temperature contrast of the sea surface across the Atlantic Ocean. Abnormally warm waters have been widespread off West Africa whereas relatively cold surface waters have stretched between western Europe and the southeastern United States.
Comment: The storm was exacerbated by the eruption cloud of the Soufriere Hills volcano (See Yim et al. in deWind (2010) Volcanoes and storms. Geoscientist Vol. 20 No. 6 pages 11–12 for details.
Emergency response
Portuguese Prime MinisterPrime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
José Sócrates
José Sócrates
José Sócrates Carvalho Pinto de Sousa, GCIH , commonly known by José Sócrates , is a Portuguese politician who was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 12 March 2005 to 21 June 2011....
said he was "absolutely saddened and shocked with the images, with the consequences of this calamity." He promised the government would provide help to ensure Madeira could begin recovery work as quickly as possible. Sócrates and Interior Minister Rui Pereira
Rui Pereira
Rui Pereira is the Portuguese Minister of Internal Administration . He took office May 17, 2007. Before that he was a Constitutional Court judge.-External links:*...
planned a flight to the island to examine and evaluate the damages and to coordinate aid efforts with the local autonomous government of Alberto João Jardim
Alberto João Jardim
Alberto João Cardoso Gonçalves Jardim, GCIH |Santa Luzia]], Funchal, Madeira Island) is a Portuguese politician who has been the President of the Regional Government of Madeira, Portugal, since 1978. He is currently among the most controversial politicians of Portugal.-Early years:Jardim was born...
. Local government authorities have made temporary shelters available for the homeless, estimated in the hundreds. Interior Minister Rui Pereira has also flown to the island. A naval frigate, containing medical equipment and a helicopter, was sent to Madeira. The Portuguese government is considering whether to declare a state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
in the region. It may seek funds from the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs
Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland)
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is a department of the Government of Ireland that is responsible for promoting the interests of Ireland in the European Union and the wider world...
announced it was unaware if any of its citizens were in the region.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
initially said the same, but it is now known that five Britons sustained injuries, and one is missing. As of 26 February, Portuguese official sources reported 42 dead and 8 missing, of whom only one was a tourist.
Reconstruction and cleaning work started a few hours after the rainfall. On the same day, several dozen units of heavy machinery and trucks were seen in the streets of Funchal and other major affected sites, cleaning streets as well as rocks and mud accumulated in the "ribeiras". In the next few days this number peaked to several hundred heavy units and trucks operating in all affected sites. In spite of some access restrictions in the centre of Funchal and some other parts of the island, all services were soon fully functional and normal life was restored. All tourist resorts were unaffected by the event, with exception of a few small hotels inland, where some blocked roads caused access restrictions. While full restoration of all affected infrastructure may take up to a few years and cost around 1,4 billion euros, most of the island is fully functional.
Humanitarian response
In support of the flood victims, Real MadridReal Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
footballer and noted Madeiran Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...
played in a charity match in Madeira, between the Portuguese Liga
Portuguese Liga
The Primeira Liga , formerly called Primeira Divisão, currently named Liga ZON Sagres after their main sponsors, is the top professional association football division of the Portuguese football league system...
club Porto and players from Madeiran-based Portuguese Liga clubs C.S. Marítimo and Nacional.
On 7 March 2010, the Mota-Engil
Mota-Engil
Mota-Engil is a Portuguese industrial conglomerate. Its principal activities include civil engineering and construction of infrastructure including bridges, dams, industrial buildings, schools, chimneys and roads; energy and steel works ; transport concessions and environment and services...
group announced that it would make an investment of 1,2 million euros to build 10 houses for those who were made homeless as a result of the floods.
External links
- Map with interactive and updated information on the events in Madeira
- Youtube short movie with mudslide and flooding images
- Image from the Toronto SunToronto SunThe Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
- Floods and mudslides pictures by locals