Civil Protection

Any of the risks considered can trigger serious accidents or disasters, seriously threatening exposed people and property. The degree of exposure and vulnerability of populations and property are dynamic factors, varying in space and time according to development patterns and institutional, social and individual capacity to deal with extreme situations and reduce their impact. Many of the hazards mentioned have the capacity to trigger collateral effects, boosting other risks, resulting in a domino or cascade effect.

Climate change, with the expected increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather phenomena - precipitation, cold, heat and rising sea levels - is one of today's greatest challenges, as it tends to increase the exposure of the city and its inhabitants to meteorological risks.

In order to build a city that is more resilient to possible disasters, the SMPC has sought to implement a preventive policy that leverages strengths, combats weaknesses and anticipates disasters. To this end, it works in close articulation and cooperation with other CML services, establishing solid partnerships with entities (public and private) in order to maximize synergies and foster the exchange of experiences at local, national and international levels.

On the path to a better prepared, resilient and safer city, Lisbon, through the SMPC, joined the UN's International Strategy for Disaster Reduction - Building Resilient Cities Campaign (2010-2020), the aim of which was to support local authorities in implementing measures to reduce the impact of disasters and strengthen community resilience.

The decision to extend the time horizon of the Making Cities Resilient initiative to 2030 (MCR2030) implies the urgency of reconciling the objectives of the Hyogo Framework for Action with the goals of sustainable development and adaptation to climate change, which are essential vectors for building inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities.

Strategies and measures implemented to mitigate and reduce risks:

• Monitoring, warning and alert systems for the population and/or entities involved in the action, providing greater efficiency in the response to a possible disaster
• Information and public awareness programs and actions, as well as the promotion of exercises and drills. Actions to train the population and professionals and the preparation of public information systems contribute to greater effectiveness in emergency and rescue actions
• Internal emergency plans (e.g. Internal Safety Plan for Educational Establishments), applied to entities and bodies that provide public services of special relevance and/or high risk - essential for more effective intervention in the event of a disaster and good coordination between the various actors involved
• Drawing up special emergency and/or contingency plans, setting out the procedures for action, the responsibilities of the entities involved, the means and resources available, applied in specific situations of risk to people and property
• Within the scope of land use planning instruments, namely by introducing the analysis of natural processes, vulnerabilities and associated risks, in order to minimize and mitigate impacts on the territory and its population and safeguard the safety of people, goods and the environment. The current revision of Lisbon's PDM includes risk situations in its own Regulations and Conditioning Plan - namely seismic and flood vulnerability, susceptibility to slope movements, tidal effects and forest fire risk