Three weeks after heavy rain caused widespread flooding, Lisbon was back “underwater” in the downtown district. A wall of water tipped down on Monday afternoon, bringing with it a reported 40 litres of water per hour per square metre. The deluge translated into cars up to their roofs in floodwaters, tunnels turned into rivers, major roads cut off and metro stations impassable.
As the freak weather plunged the city centre into chaos, firemen and civil protection services received as many as 190 calls for help within a few hours. The only “good news” was that only one person was reported injured.
Meantime, opposition councillors vowed it is time to get to the bottom of the problem that invariably comes with every winter’s downpours. They claim it is a drainage problem that no administration seems interested in tackling.
