Special shows every morning at 8am... JOIN US HERE - Need help? - Community check-in - Weather outlook - Preparedness Very complicated week ahead – with a lot of rain, particularly in storm ravaged areas "A new storm is expected this weekend" Tempestade SOS

Abstention rate ‘surprisingly low’: Portuguese rallied to this campaign says Natasha Donn... "Exit polls coming in an hour after polling stations closed have put António José Seguro as the clear winner of Portugal’s presidential elections. The second-round of voting in this hard-fought campaign saw a much lower abstention rate than initially feared – between 37.5% and 42.5%. Neither candidate has ‘accepted’ the results yet – albeit the Caldas da Rainha ‘headquarters’ of Seguro’s campaign is already celebrating. His adversary – CHEGA leader André Ventura – is ‘still at Mass in Lisbon’, but projections put him at coming in with between 28.6% of the vote, and 33.0%. Projections for Seguro are that he has walked this contest, with between 67% and 71.4% of the vote. This has always been the expected ‘end result’. It is also almost certainly what André Ventura ‘expected’ – as he has made no bones about the fact that he intends to be a future prime minister....more" Join us in the morning for further reflection on the result

@Kate Bygrave's marvellous memes, now in a single handy thread! *seasonal service 😉

Please add a pic in the comments of a place you love in Portugal, and let the rest of us guess where it is... Here's one of mine to get us started...

QUOTED: The Directorate-General of Health warns of risks to water and food safety following Storm Kristin and power outages, recommending caution in consumption, food handling, and sanitation to protect public health. The DGS (Directorate-General of Health) issued a set of recommendations on Thursday night following the storm that affected several regions of the country in the early hours of Wednesday, causing power outages that persist in some areas, which could compromise the quality of drinking water and food safety. "Situations like this impact the safety of food stored in refrigerators and freezers, as well as water quality, especially in areas where the supply depends on electrical systems," the statement warns. To reduce these risks, the health authority calls for the adoption of preventive measures and safe behaviors, such as avoiding the consumption of water from sources that are not connected to the public supply network, such as wells or mines, as they may be contaminated. The DGS (Directorate-General of Health) advises the public not to drink tap water, wash food or brush their teeth with it, unless there is official confirmation of its safety, and to use bottled water whenever possible. "If you don't have bottled water, boil the water for 10 minutes before using it or disinfect it with bleach without dyes, detergents or perfumes (about 2 drops per liter of water)," he recommends, also advising the population to wash their hands well before handling treated water or food. ENDS Source