A pensioner reported missing on Sunday afternoon, today was found drowned in a ditch near Boliqueime, according to the GNR Command in Faro.
Francisco Navio was reported missing as flooding followed the heavy rains that hit the Algarve on Sunday. Sr Navio's body was found on Monday morning at around 09:30 some 100 metres from where his empty and submerged vehicle had been discovered.
The body of the 79-year-old was discovered by a GNR sniffer dog shortly after searches resumed along the road between the Kadoc disco and the railway underpass.
Francisco Navio was a resident of Covilha and had a holiday home in Boliqueime. He was in the Algarve to celebrate his 80th birthday and left his house to go shopping, according to his widow. His Smart car was caught by an overflowing river and was dragged into a ditch near the railway bridge.
Sunday’s search started after his wife had reported him missing. The GNR suspended search operations at nightfall and called for support from Lisbon for specialised divers and sniffer dogs.
Sr Navio clearly had tried to escape as the glass in his car had been broken but it is thought he was washed away by the powerful flow and drowned nearby.
Meanwhile in Albufeira, the scene of devastation was surveyed by the new Minister for Internal Affairs, João Calvão e Silva who saw damage to sewers, water pipes, electricity wires, roads, shops and vehicles.
The minister praised the emergency services, saying their response had worked well and that "Portugal can trust in its civil defence forces," but added that in this instance, "normal preventive measures were not enough."
Albufeira's mayor, Carlos Silva e Sousa, today said that people who had been made homeless will be re-housed temporarily.
The mayor considered that it is too early to decide whether or not there should be a declaration of ‘public disaster’ due to the heavy damage and financial losses. He will discuss the process with the minister who in turn is waiting for a full report before making a declaration one way or another.
The minister also visited Boliqueime to offer his condolences to the family of the drowned man and visited the spot where the Smart car had been found.
Some of the new minister’s comments gave us an early indication that some Public Relations training is on the cards.
Calvão da Silva perceptively noted that "God is not always a friend" and that the man who died in Boliqueime "gave himself to God," although not willingly it seems and much to the displeasure of his widow.
The Minister of Internal Affairs also said that the storm that caused these huge losses "is a lesson in life" especially for those without insurance who should have "kept a little aside for a secure future." As for the minister declaring the situation in Albufeira a national disaster, he commented that the declaration of state of disaster "is not a law that is used for any little thing."
The Albufeira mayor said that he was sure that "there will be credit lines" to support traders who had suffered losses and that the council will do whatever it can to get the city back on its feet.
One of the problems particular to Albufeira is that the city has grown over what once was a river leading to the sea and when there is heavy rainfall, the water follows its natural path which now is through built up areas.
This, when combined with poor urban planning, inevitably leads to flooding.
This situation local traders are well aware of and have wasted little time on blaming the council for a history of town planning incompetence with wastewater drainage pipes in the downtown area of Albufeira being far too narrow and hence unable to cope with entirely predictable bouts of heavy winter rainfall.
The damage is severe, as it was in 2008, with two metres of water coursing through the downtown area of bars and shops. Approach road surfaces have been lifted and destroyed and much debris swept as far as the beach.
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