President of Leiria launches book on Kristin which is “species of catharsis”

O president of the Municipality of Leiria, Gonçalo Lopes, launches on November 21st an account of the personal experience experienced during the depression Kristin and in the following months, in a book that is “a kind of catharsis”.

“Kristin – The days that changed Leiria” is the result of “one of the most intense and demanding experiences” that lived as president of the Municipality of Leiria, Gonçalo Lopes explained to the Lusa agency.

“I realized that what we were living could not be reduced to reports, news or photographs,” said the mayor, who recalled “days of difficult decisions, often made without all the necessary information, facing problems that had never been faced.”.

Gonçalo Lopes admitted that this personal experience, marked by doubts, difficulties and learning, had to be recorded.

In the first person, the book concretes “this desire to preserve memory and reflect” on what lived during the storm and the following months.

The report describes the events, the organization of the emergency response, the decisions taken, the articulation with the institutions and the challenges of reconstruction.

“It’s also a reflection on what it means to lead in extreme circumstances, when information is incomplete, resources are limited and thousands of people need answers,” Gonçalo Lopes said, who shares “doubts, difficulties and learning.”.

The mayor seeks to “recognize what went well without hiding what could have gone better”.

In the exercise of recovery of memories, consultation of photographs, messages, reports and other records, Gonçalo Lopes revived some of the most painful moments of those days, in particular “those associated with loss of human lives and the suffering of families”.

“ It was also difficult to remember the first days, when we still did not know the real dimension of destruction and we had to make urgent decisions without all the information,” he added.

Among the overloaded agenda of a mayor, the book was “developed over the last few months”, taking advantage of “the moments available outside the local activity”.

“ It turned out to be a sort of catharsis. During the emergency, there was no time to reflect on what we were living. Writing allowed me to revisit these moments with another distance and organize an experience that marked me deeply.”.

Nine months after the occurrence of Kristin depression, the mayor identifies “deep marks in the territory, economy and life of thousands of people”.

“ Recovery continues and we know that some consequences will follow us for a long time. In Leiria it also changed “awareness of our vulnerability and the way we look at preparation before extreme phenomena”.

Personally, the local leader said he believed that experience strengthened “the conviction that governing is also anticipating risks and preparing the future”, and confirmed that “no institution can respond alone to a catastrophe of this dimension.”.

“Cooperation and mobilization of the community are fundamental”.

With “Kristin – The days that have changed Leiria”, Gonçalo Lopes also wants to share information that is useful to those who, in the future, have to face similar situations, contributing to “better protect people before future emergency situations”.

“I do not intend to present definitive solutions or suggest that everything went well. I believe that recognizing difficulties and learning from experience is essential to improve our ability to respond.”.

The recipe of the book will be destined for the reforestation of the municipality of Leiria, through the project Reerguer Leiria.

The launch is scheduled for November 21, at 5:00 p.m., at the headquarters of the Volunteer Firefighters of Leiria, with presentation by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, former president of the Republic.