The Ministry of Internal Administration announced that the maximum support for municipalities affected by bad weather will be 60% of the verified damages, a measure that the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities considers to be "manifestly insufficient". This percentage of funding does not cover the totality of the damages caused by severe weather.
The municipalities will have to bear a significant part of the recovery and reconstruction costs of damaged infrastructure. The association warned that this limitation in funding will continue to strongly pressure the treasuries of local authorities, which already face financial difficulties.
This situation arises in a context where several municipalities were affected by recent episodes of bad weather, causing considerable material damage to roads, public buildings, and other municipal infrastructure. Local authorities have been responsible for much of the response and repair work.
The National Association of Portuguese Municipalities advocates that the support made available by the government should be higher to cover the totality of the damages, so as not to compromise the financial capacity of the municipal chambers to fulfill other essential responsibilities and investments.
