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Projeto de investigação
Evacuation decisions and plans in wildfire scenarios
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Rural fires: causes of human losses in the 2017 fires in Portugal
Publication . Rodrigues, Andreia; Santiago, Aldina; Laím, Luís; Viegas, Domingos Xavier; Zêzere, José
Extreme wildfires are increasingly rising to intense and uncontrolled fires, with dimension
and destructive potentials that are greater than what has been seen and dealt with. The hazards
posed by these fires increase significantly when they approach the wild–urban interface, with relevant
environmental and socio-economic consequences. The 2009 Victorian bushfires and the 2017 Portugal
wildfires are powerful reminders, and they have demonstrated the need to better understand why
mitigation plans have failed to protect the community in these events and to improve community
resilience. The year 2017 is a milestone in the history of wildfires in Portugal, not only because of the
vast burned area but also due to the high number of fatalities. The two occurrences were at different
times (June and October) but were geographically close (region of centre of Portugal). A total of
117 deaths occurred in both events and 92% of the victims were in wild–urban interface areas. This
paper analyses and discusses the characteristics and causes of death of the victims of these two events:
age, place of death, distance from place of death to place of residence and last-minute choices to
aim to understand the actions that people took in the face of the approaching fire, which led to their
death. In both cases, most people died fleeing the fire without any information from the competent
authorities. In the end, it is possible to identify risk factors that lead to the death of civilians due
to wildfires, such as the increase in demand for rurality by young people from big cities with no
previous contact with wildfires; on the other hand, there is the ageing of the population residing in
forest areas, who were previously physically and structurally prepared to deal with fires and are
currently no longer able to.
The role of Parish Councils in georeferencing for emergency planning: approach and methods
Publication . Rodrigues, Andreia; Santiago, Aldina; Viegas, Domingos Xavier; Zêzere, José
Rural fires are becoming increasingly impactful, not only due to their rapid and intense spread but also because of the growing number of people affected. In Portugal, numerous remote housing clusters are difficult to access and are primarily occupied by seniors or individuals with disabilities. These areas are situated in high-risk wildfire zones. Therefore, it is crucial to document the locations of the individuals who are most at risk to ensure that relief efforts can be focused on and directed towards them in case of emergency. The aim of this paper is to propose an inventory plan for communities at risk of wildfire, requiring the involvement of parish councils. The plan involves the use of simple and cost-free georeferencing tools (such as Mymaps of Google) to enable these organizations to assist in municipal emergency planning and facilitate the exchange of real-time information. The outcomes of this paper will be demonstrated in three parishes in mainland Portugal, where the key benefits and limitations were identified. The goal is to enhance the project for potential replication in other areas.
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Entidade financiadora
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Programa de financiamento
3599-PPCDT
Número da atribuição
PCIF/AGT/0061/2019