They named it Kristin. It will go down in the records as a large and violent storm that hit some regions of Portugal, with wind gusts reaching speeds of 150 km/h and torrential rain for several hours. It all happened in the early hours of Wednesday, the 28th.
The images reveal: large-scale trees that fell, destroyed houses, power systems that are now down, disrupted communications and blocked roads, flooding and landslides. More than 800,000 people were left without power and it is still unknown when the power grid will be fully restored. There were also fatalities.
The Portuguese government described it as “an extreme weather phenomenon that caused significant damage in several parts of the territory.”
One of the affected areas was Proença-a-Nova. The house of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood was hit with significant damage to the roof, agricultural infrastructure, and trees: a centuries-old cork oak simply fell, and several trees were uprooted or had their trunks broken in half.
According to the testimony of Father Virgílio, who was in the eye of the storm, “we woke up at 4 am to a deafening noise of wind and rain. Around 5 am, the wind and rain increased in intensity and began to tear off part of the roof of the house. Some tiles fell inside the house, opening space for the storm. Since, in addition to the priests, 18 people were living in the house, the concern was to keep them safe. Now, immediately and as soon as the weather permits, we have to get to work and replace the entire roof.
There was also damage to other ecclesial structures, especially churches and chapels.
There are several appeals on social media requesting solidarity. We also make one here: you can help the Missionaries of the Precious Blood through a donation on the website www.cpps.pt.
Fr. Luis Filipe