Hurricane Lorenzo hits the Azores, leaving more than 50 people homeless

According to the Azorean Civil Protection service, the number of people in the Azores who have had to be resettled due to the passing of Hurricane Lorenzo, was 53. Furthermore, the destruction of the Lajes Port “jeopardizes supply to the island of the Azores”, says Regional Government President Vasco Cordeio.

Hurricane Lorenzo’s passage through the Azores archipelago caused the destruction of the port of Lajes das Flores. Speaking to journalists, the captain of the port of Santa Cruz das Flores, Rafael da Silva, explained that “the harbour jetty has been destroyed and there are a number of buildings that have been destroyed.”

“There are also vessels and containers that could not withstand the force of the sea, as well as four fishing boats.”

The destruction of Flores’ only commercial port is, so far, the biggest material damage caused by Lorenzo’s passage through the Azores. Rafael da Silva says that now is the time to “evaluate how to address the logistical problem that will be posed to the islands, and for this the Maritime Authority is available to collaborate with all entities.” At this time the Maritime Authority is assessing all damages that have been caused.

The destruction in the port of Lajes “jeopardizes fundamental aspects, such as supply to the island of Flores,” said the president of the Azores Regional Government, quoted by the Azores newspaper 24 this morning.

Against the backdrop of the chaotic sight that Hurricane Lorenzo left in the port of Lajes, Vasco Cordeiro told SIC News that “it is not a pleasant sight” but he also feels like they are doing what “the Azoreans have been doing for almost six centuries”, which is to rebuild what the sea destroys.

Already in a statement issued by the Regional Government of the Azores, Vasco Cordeiro highlighted the fact that thankfully the passage of Hurricane Lorenzo through the archipelago, in the early hours of the morning, did not cause any casualties.

“The safety of the people was the main thing. The fact that, so far, there are no victims to register is primarily due to the good responsibility with which each of the Azoreans have faced this time of trial.” said Vasco Cordeiro, quoted in the statement.

He praised the dedication and professionalism of all the professionals who were involved in the operation that was set up to minimise the consequences of the passage of Hurricane Lorenzo through the archipelago.

The president of the regional executive, who visited the aftermath of the hurricane on Flores island, noted, however, that “there is a lot of work to be done” and “there are damages that seem to be extremely high”, as well as situations of displacement, namely in Flores and Faial. .

“In Faial, there are situations with homeless people that deserve our concern. As soon as possible, in terms of security conditions, we will immediately move to the assessment of the conditions of these dwellings,” he said.

When the weather gets better, Vasco Cordeiro added, a set of areas will be evaluated “with greater accuracy to determine the extent of the damage.” “We will start working now to restore the normality for people who have seen their housing affected by this bad weather, as well as infrastructure,” he said.

Due to its geographical location, the western group of the archipelago (Flores and Corvo) is traditionally the most affected by natural phenomena such as tropical storms or hurricanes in the Azores.

Hurricane Lorenzo passed through this morning, and damages began to be reported at around 4am. Lorenzo has in the meantime lost its momentum and is moving northwards towards Ireland.