Almada Cliffs Closed, Residents Evacuated: Hotel, Rent Aid & EU Funds

The Almada Municipal Council has expanded no-go zones along the Costa de Caparica cliffs and in Porto Brandão, a move that will keep hundreds of families away from unstable slopes for at least the next few weeks while engineers decide whether permanent relocation is inevitable.

Why This Matters

• Closed promenades and beach accesses: popular surf spots between São João da Caparica and Cova do Vapor are behind fencing; violators risk €2,000 fines.

• 476 people already evacuated: the council is paying hotel bills and negotiating rent support for longer stays.

• Possible six-month "calamity" status would unlock extraordinary funding from the Portugal Civil Protection Authority and fast-track construction licences for replacement housing.

• Landlords & insurers on alert: properties bordering the protected Arriba Fóssil may face higher premiums and strict renovation rules.

The Situation on the Ground

Heavy winter rain left the Miocene sandstone cliffs water-logged, triggering a chain of small landslides since early February. The worst incident, on Rua Duarte Pacheco Pereira, sent earth through three ground-floor flats and forced the removal of 30 neighbours. Geotechnical teams from the National Laboratory of Civil Engineering (LNEC) have placed motion sensors in twelve hotspots.

Barriers now cordon off the seafront wall, the jetty in Porto Brandão and the riverside footpath in Trafaria. Drone footage released by the Portugal National Maritime Authority shows fresh cracks widening along the cliff edge by several centimetres per day.

How the Municipality Is Responding

Emergency shelter: 225 evacuees are lodged in three Caparica hotels at municipal expense; another 160 are with relatives but receive daily meal vouchers.

Legal framework: Mayor Inês de Medeiros has asked Lisbon to declare a “state of calamity”—a tool last used locally after Storm Leslie in 2018—to access the Disaster Fund and bypass normal procurement rules for slope-stabilisation works.

Infrastructure checks: The Portugal Rail Infrastructure Company halted freight on the single CargoLink spur that skirts the cliffs; passenger service continues but at reduced speed.

Public information: A new SMS alert—type “ALMADA” to 3838—sends real-time road and beach closures to residents’ phones.

Scientific View: Can the Cliffs Be Saved?

Geologists blame marine under-cutting and poorly drained hilltop gardens. Suggested remedies include:

• Rock-bolting and steel netting: effective on small faces but controversial inside the protected landscape.

• Sand nourishment at the cliff foot: slows wave attack yet costs roughly €1M per kilometre every 5 years.

• Relocation buffer: a 50-metre building-free corridor, already common in parts of Galicia, may be inevitable, experts tell us.

LNEC’s preliminary report warns that drying sands in spring could create new fissures, so today’s risk will not simply vanish when rain stops.

What This Means for Residents

• Homeowners within the provisional red line will soon receive a registered letter explaining whether their property falls under Article 14 of the Civil Protection Act, which allows compulsory temporary evacuation.

• Tenants are eligible for the same hotel solution or a monthly subsidy (capped at €400, roughly half the average Almada rent) while structural surveys are underway.

• Beach businesses—from surf schools to kiosks—can apply for a municipal licence extension equal to the number of closed days so they do not lose their concession years.

• Insurance claims tied to “ground movement” may be rejected unless owners had a geotechnical appraisal; the Portugal Insurance and Pension Fund Authority is mediating a sector-wide approach.

Financial & Legal Angle

If calamity status is granted, Almada could tap the Solidarity Fund of the European Union, covering up to 2.5% of direct damage. The council also plans a zero-interest loan scheme for structural retrofits, modelled on the post-Monchique fire package in 2018. Owners must present a stabilization plan endorsed by a chartered geologist to qualify.

Next Steps and Key Dates

• Civil Protection review: risk map update due within 10 days.

• Council vote on the six-month calamity request expected at the next ordinary session.

• Spring tides in early March will test temporary sea defences; authorities may widen the safety cordon.

• Public hearing on long-term coastal zoning slated for April at the Costa da Caparica Forum.

For official updates, bookmark the dedicated page on the Almada Municipal Council website or call the 24-hour helpline 212 724 400.

Reporting from Almada’s cliff-top observation deck, your local insider keeps an eye on the ground that still refuses to stay put.