Cristiano Ronaldo
The country woke up this Saturday with the drama of Madeira Island. In Spain, Cristiano Ronaldo who was born in Madeira kept his eyes glued to the television set.
“It’s a major catastrophe, a tragedy without precedent”, said the Portuguese international on the website of the company that represents him, Gestifute. “Nobody can remain indifferent to this disaster, much less me, who was born and raised in Madeira. I want to express my willingness to, in as much as I can, help mitigate and overcome the effects of this devastation”
The intense and continuous rain caused flash flooding and landslides that caused chaos on the island, strongly affecting the lower areas of the south coast of the Island particularly Funchal and Ribeira Brava, the second worst affected county.
The rivers overflowed and the water invaded the main arteries of downtown Funchal, leaving a trail of destruction. By the latest count, 40 are confirmed dead, over 120 injured, 250 left homeless, as well as an undetermined number of missing.
Dozens of flights were canceled during the day as well as the ferry between the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo. Communications were affected, as well as the distribution of electricity and water, and there were areas, such as the village of Curral das Freiras (Nun’s Valley), which continue isolated due to landslides and comunication cuts. The population was advised to stay at home and all sporting events and competitions were canceled. The Portuguese Premiere League ordered a minute’s silence before the start of this weekend’s games.
The Institute of Meteorology said that this was a rare phenomenon, where a tremendous amount of rain fell during several hours especially in the high mountains which helped the tragedy, causing water to flow towards the sea, but the worst has passed. For the next few days they are expecting some showers or rain, but with much less intensity.
Madeira Island, situated about 1000 km South West of Portugal, is a popular tourist destination, with a great climate and stunning scenery. It has now also become famous as the birthplace of Cristiano Ronaldo.
More information about Cristiano Ronaldo can be found at: http://www.cristianoronaldoportugal.com
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
