Praia, Aug. 27, 2025 (Lusa) - Cabo Verde researcher Neusa Lopes announced on Wednesday that she is going to launch an educational and emotional project, with a multidisciplinary team including psychologists, to support the people affected by the storm that caused nine deaths on the island of São Vicente.
"People have been thrown off balance physically, emotionally, psychologically and socially. Many were left without homes, and some had to stay in schools. My concern is to ensure a healthy mental stability for those who have lived through this traumatic event. It's field work," he told Lusa.
The project involves teachers and psychologists who live inside and outside Cabo Verde and will be implemented in schools, communities and with families, with the aim of "balancing the emotional state of the population", she explained.
The writer and teacher said that the project will be launched in the coming weeks in São Vicente and will be adjusted to the emotional needs of the population.
"This was my idea. I thought about people's emotional, social and psychological state, because they've been through a trauma. It was a storm in which they woke up in the middle of the night with floods of water, not knowing where to go, in darkness," he added.
"Psychological and emotional comfort is lacking at the moment. They could have a moment of distraction, not like parties, but something that makes them feel comfortable. In addition, food, water and medical care are essential," she said.
Neusa Lopes also argued that the government should create a national network of psychological support for emergencies.
"It's necessary because, for example, after this storm, there is always trauma, and this can compromise people's mental health," she warned.
Families in São Vicente who have lost their homes, furniture and businesses told Lusa that they need psychological support to process what has happened and, in some cases, to deal with the rise in product prices.
The 11 August storm in São Vicente caused nine deaths, two missing persons, flooded neighbourhoods and damage to roads, houses, bridges and commercial establishments, as well as power outages and vehicles and other goods being swept out to sea.
As a result, the government declared a state of calamity for six months in São Vicente, Porto Novo (Santo Antão) and the two municipalities of São Nicolau.
The government also approved a response plan that includes emergency support for families and economic activities, with subsidised credit lines and non-repayable funds.
To finance the measures, resources are being mobilised from the National Emergency Fund and the Sovereign Emergency Fund, created in 2019 to respond to natural disasters and external shocks.
According to the Minister for Family, Inclusion and Social Development, Fernando Elísio Freire, 74 families, totalling 255 people, are currently in reception centres in São Vicente.
Among them, 12 have lost all their possessions, while 62 are unable to return to their homes, which are deemed unsafe.
RS/ADB // ADB.
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