THE STUDY of earthquakes and a tsunami forecast will finally be undertaken in the Algarve. António Costa, Minister for State and Internal Administration, visited the Algarve recently to preside over the signing of two agreements, related to the development and management of a seismic risk study and the forecast of tsunamis in the Algarve region.
It is believed that a tsunami such as the one that occurred in 1755 would take no longer than 30 minutes to reach the Algarve coast. In November 2005, it was announced in the Portuguese press that the Civil Protection Authority did not possess any document with instructions on how to proceed in the case of a giant wave arriving at the coast.
Professor Alveirinho Dias of the Algarve University, where the signing ceremony was held, believes that greater attention should be paid to earthquakes since, in his opinion, the possibility of major earthquakes taking place is greater than that of large tsunamis. He states that adequate planning is essential.
