Civil Protection's Response to the Blackout
In the wake of the blackout on Monday, José Manuel Moura, the president of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority, provided crucial clarifications regarding the failure to send alert SMS messages to the public. He stated that the three main telecom operators were unable to respond in a timely manner due to the lack of energy.
"The operators were limited in their capacity to respond. During summer, particularly in cases of forest fires, messages are usually sent promptly. However, this time, due to the power outage, they could not guarantee a timely response," Moura explained.
As a result, SMS notifications were only received by some mobile users later in the evening. In such scenarios, Moura emphasized that the priority was given to hospitals.
"Our commitment was fully directed towards critical situations. We were particularly concerned with ensuring the supply to hospitals," he admitted, dismissing criticisms regarding communication failures with the public.
Alternative Communication Measures
Moura highlighted that other methods were used to inform the population, including announcements through the media. The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority was the first entity to post updates on its website.
"All other communication methods were compromised due to the lack of energy," he added.
Currently, the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority has not identified the causes of this unprecedented blackout, which fortunately did not result in any recorded casualties in Portugal.
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