Olhão opens school to welcome children of essential workers

A Olhão Chamber will provide a school to welcome the children of the essential workers who have to serve on Wednesday, during the passage of the depression Charles, announced today the municipality.

In view of the weather forecasts of aggravating bad weather and the government's decision to decree the alert situation between 00:00 and 23:59 Wednesday, closing schools, the Algarve authority reported that it will ensure an answer for essential workers to leave their children during work and will open the Basic School Professor Paula Nogueira during the day.

The educational institution will be open “only children whose parents or legal guardians perform functions in services considered essential”, explained the Chamber of Olhão in a communiqué, stating that they are firemen, security guards, professionals of the municipal company AmbiOlhão, the Boards of Freguesia and the maintenance of the Chamber of Olhão.

The forecast gives rise to heavy rain and wind and identifies Lisbon, Leiria, Setúbal, Beja and Faro as the regions that can be most affected.

“The Paula Nogueira School will be exceptionally open, between 7:30 and 19:00, to welcome these children. Access to reception should be communicated and articulated with the relevant municipal services and with the direction of the School Group, by indicating the identification of the child, the home educational institution, the expected time of stay and identification of their parents or legal guardians”, framed the municipality of Faro district.

The House of Olhão warned that the municipality will comply with the guidelines given by the national authorities and that “the other schools will be closed, as well as non-essential public services, including the Citizen’s Shop and the Single House”.

The municipality called on the population to comply with the guidelines given by the Municipal Civil Protection so as not to park in historically flooded areas, to pay special attention to vulnerable people with reduced mobility, to remove animals from flooded areas and to avoid the circulation by the coast, riverside areas and exposed beaches.

Non-essential movements and risk behaviours should also be avoided, enhanced the surveillance and mooring of vessels and guaranteed the fixing or removal of equipment and structures exposed to wind and sea, the collection or tying of terraces and the clearance of water flows.

“The city calls for the sense of responsibility of all and advises that all indications be strictly followed,” the Algarve City Council asked.

Continental Portugal is on alert between 00:00 and 23:59 Wednesday, due to the possible worsening of the state of time with the arrival of depression Charles, which should mainly affect the districts of Lisbon, Leiria, Setúbal, Beja and Faro.

The government has decided to close non-essential schools and public services in all districts, and the authorities have admitted to closing bridges and air traffic restrictions.

According to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), “the occurrence of heavy rain or shower periods, strong wind, with gusts that can reach 120 kilometers/hour and, in case of formation of the phenomenon ‘sting jet’ (air current that quickly descends inside an extratropical depression, accelerating towards the surface), exceed 150 kilometers/hour”.

Red weather warnings (the maximum level) were issued for the continent, for Wednesday, and also for Madeira, as of tonight. In the archipelago the schools will be closed in the morning.