Portalegre, Portugal, Feb. 5, 2026 (Lusa) - Residents and business owners on Portalegre Avenue, the area most affected by the “sea of mud” mixed with rocks that fell from the Serra de São Mamede today due to Storm Leonardo, are still unaware of the extent of the damage.

At around 11:00 a.m., while Civil Protection, municipal employees and some locals were removing damaged vehicles and cleaning the road on Avenida de Santo António, Armindo Trindade, who lives on that street, told the Lusa news agency that during the early hours of the morning, while he was in the bathroom, he heard a "very loud bang".

After hearing this sound, he went back to bed, thinking it was "the rubbish truck," but the noise, "which was a bit strange, persisted" and, shortly afterwards, he noticed the damage on the street after being alerted by family members.

"I've never seen anything like this. I've lived here for 30 years, but I've never seen anything like this," he said.

Andrenalina Trindade, who also lives on that avenue, next to the Portalegre hospital, told Lusa that she noticed the situation after hearing "a neighbour screaming".

"When I looked out of the window, I saw this scene, with all the cars piled up, including my son's car," she said, explaining that the water had gone over the car and that it was now completely dirty.

The same resident, who considered the situation "unprecedented" in the city, said she was now waiting to find out the condition of her car, which she had left parked in the building's underground car park.

There are also some businesses on the same avenue, namely health clinics, one of which has been affected and is now closed.

Speaking to Lusa, Carlos Bagulho, managing partner of the Consultório Médico Dentário do Norte Alentejano dental clinic, said he was unaware of the damage at this stage because he was unable to access the interior of the premises.

"Apart from what you can see at the door, which is this “sea of mud” here, the back wall has collapsed. I believe the clinic is flooded, and all the equipment there, electronic items, must be full of water," he lamented.

Carlos Bagulho added that "very heavy damage" is expected, and that the clinic, where more than 30 people work, is likely to be closed "for a long time".

Dozens of cars were damaged today, and others were swept away in Portalegre by the force of water, mud, and rocks from the Serra de São Mamede following storm Leonardo.

Speaking to Lusa early this morning, the Mayor of Portalegre, Fermelinda Carvalho, said that "chaos reigned" on the avenues of Santo António (next to the hospital) and Liberdade and in the Rossio area, where there was flooding and "a lot of mud" had accumulated.

"They came from the mountains (water, mud and rocks), swept away cars, this is chaos," she said.

The mayor explained that, around 8 a.m., Civil Protection and municipal services were already carrying out cleaning operations and clearing roads in the Rossio area.

Also contacted by Lusa, a source from the Alto Alentejo Sub-Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command said that the most affected areas of the city were Avenida de Santo António and the hospital's main entrance.

"The river overflowed its banks and the flooding literally swept cars down the embankment," dragging vehicles, debris and rocks, said the same source, revealing that the main entrance to the hospital "was rendered inoperable".

The Portalegre hospital's Emergency Plan was activated due to damage to the unit's access, Ilídio Pinto Cardoso, spokesperson for the Alto Alentejo Local Health Unit (ULS), told Lusa, stressing that there were no injuries caused by the bad weather.

According to the same source, "only from the Emergency Department side" is it possible to access the hospital, i.e. via Avenida Pio XII, "but with some constraints".

Eleven people have died in Portugal since last week as a result of storms Kristin and Leonardo, which also caused several hundred injuries and displaced people.

The government has declared a state of emergency for 68 municipalities until next Sunday and announced a package of support measures worth up to €2.5 billion.

HYT/ADB // ADB.

Lusa