29 May MINDSHIFT TALENT ADVISORY – fifth debate: “IMPLEMENTATION OF A TSUNAMI WARNING AND ALERT SYSTEM IN THE TAGUS ESTUARY”

Posted at 16:30h in FIFTH DEBATE, PORTUGAL by

COUNTRY: PORTUGAL

ORGANIZATION: MINDSHIFT TALENT ADVISORY

DATE OF THE DEBATE: 29/05/2022

LOCATION OF THE DEBATE: Lisbon

LINK TO THE MONITORED PROJECT ON THE NATIONAL OPEN DATA PLATFORM: HERE

EVENT DESCRIPTION: 

The fourth debate of the monitoring process of the “Implementation of a tsunami warning and alert system in the Tagus estuary” project took place in Lisbon, in a visit to QUAKE Lisboa, an interpretation centre, that combines scientific, educational and recreational aspects related to earthquakes, more specifically to the great earthquake that shook Lisbon on November 1st of 1755.

This visit aimed to deepen the knowledge about the thematic  of the project that is being monitored, and also to make the participants aware of the real importance of being prepared for an earthquake in the city of Lisbon.

It is common knowledge that earthquakes originate in fault zones in the Earth’s crust. In Portugal, the first group of faults is located south of the Algarve, which divides the great European and African continental masses; and the second fault zone, in the interior valley of the Tagus river, can originate earthquakes of lesser magnitude when compared to the 1755 earthquake, which can still be quite destructive for those closer to the epicentre.

The recent opening of an interpretative centre dedicated only to the earthquake thematic brought back to the population, especially to those living in areas where such a risk is greater, the memory of a catastrophe that affected an entire city in 1755 and that may happen again. There is no present memory of an episode of such magnitude, and for that reason it important to make available information on the topic to raise awareness about, and also to prepare populations for such risks.

In this sense, with this visit, we could understand and confirm the importance of AML’s project for Lisbon and Cascais, as through the installation of a set of warning panels and information equipment’s, it brought to citizens a subject of which no one has any memory. And also, to which, no one is fully prepared. Participants in this event were able to conclude that it is essential to extend this project to other areas of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. This visit also allowed participants to gather relevant information to continuing in the monitoring process.