Leiria, Portugal, Feb. 1, 2026 (Lusa) - Almost 700 personnel, including three Army platoons, are currently in the municipality of Leiria, which has been severely affected by Storm Kristin, carrying out clean-up and reconstruction work, it was announced on Sunday.
"We currently have 670 personnel on the ground, reinforced during the early hours of this morning with three platoons of Army marines," Councillor Luís Lopes, who is responsible for Civil Protection, told journalists at a press conference at the Leiria Fire Brigade, the municipal operations centre.
According to the mayor, today's focus is on "stabilising the entire area by clearing away fallen trees" and "clearing the main watercourses", the Lis and Lena rivers, given the possibility of flooding in the coming days.
In view of the possibility of increased wind, there will also be "special attention to all structures that are currently affected," he said.
Regarding support for the population, actions are being carried out "in coordination with all entities on the ground," from firefighters to parish councils and local Civil Protection units, with teams surveying unresolved situations and reporting to the operations centre.
The delivery points for goods at both the Pousos pavilion and the municipal stadium are being reinforced, now to include construction materials.
"Thousands of people have been coming in, and the expectation is that this will continue in the coming days," he said, adding that there has been a change in needs.
In addition to food, tarpaulins, and plastic sheeting, people are trying to repair their roofs, so roof tiles will be delivered by the end of the afternoon.
For the municipality, in addition to civil protection, the concern is to support and be close to the population.
"We have several Social Action and Social Security teams now going door-to-door to check on people's circumstances, especially the most vulnerable cases," he said.
In this regard, the municipality will provide assistance to those with limited physical or financial capacity by providing building materials so they can make repairs to their homes.
The passage of Storm Kristin through mainland Portugal on Wednesday caused at least five deaths, according to Civil Protection, as well as several injuries and displaced persons. The Marinha Grande City Council reports another fatality in the municipality. On Saturday, two other men died after falling from roofs they were repairing, one in the municipality of Batalha and the other in Alcobaça. In the early hours of Sunday morning, a man died in the municipality of Leiria from carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator.
Fallen trees and structures, road closures and disruptions to transport services, particularly railways, school closures, and power, water, and communication cuts are the main material consequences of the storm.
Leiria, where the storm entered the country, Coimbra and Santarém are the districts that have suffered the most damage.
The government declared a state of emergency, which was extended on Sunday, after a cabinet meeting, until 8 February.
DA/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
