A set of sirens have been installed in the Santa Catarina Fortress in Praia da Rocha, which sounded for the first time on Monday morning as part of the ‘A Terra Treme’ earthquake preparedness exercise.
Soon, similar equipment will be installed in three other points throughout Portimão, according to newspaper Correio da Manhã.
So far, in Portugal, only Cascais, just north of Lisbon, has a similar system.
Richard Marques, Portimão municipal Civil Protection operational commander, explained that the system will “not only emit the sound of sirens but also pre-recorded messages in Portuguese and English”.
Monday’s test was designed to determine the range of the audible alarm.
Based on the test results, it will then be possible to determine where more sirens should be placed - similar to those used in flood risk areas of dams - to cover the entire coast of the county.
In addition to the sirens, there are also plans to install “signage in areas likely to be flooded by a tsunami wave, indicating the safe places to where people should go”, Richard Marques said.
The warning system results from “a protocol with a private company, which provided the equipment free of charge and that has allowed us to test it”, he explained.
The system is monitored 24 hours a day from the operations and communications room of the Municipal Civil Protection Centre. Connection to the sirens is done by radio and by GSM.