Portugal sends force to assist Valencia

Portugal will be sending a joint force with operatives from both from Civil Protection and the Armed Forces to assist Valencia, Spain under the international assistance request – the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism. 

This joint force will contain operatives from the Portuguese Emergency and Civil Protection Authority, the Lisbon Firefighter department, the Medical Emergency Institute, and 28 soldiers from the three Armed Forces branches.

This joint force will have 40 vehicles, of which 28 are operated by Civil Protection staff, among which three diggers, a high-speed mud pump, six sewer pumps, one high-speed sewer pump, one mud pumping set, five mud electric pumps. 

The Navy, Army, and Air Force sent 12 vehicles, namely two diggers, a high-speed sewer pump, two sewer pumps, two low-speed sewer pumps, a rotating digger, a wheel loading shovel, two trucks to carry sludge, and a Bobcat. 

The force’s minimum sustaining capacity is seven days. Portugal provided help on the day in which the tragedy struck Valencia. The deployment occurred in the time set by the European Mechanism. The convoy is to leave the country on Tuesday from Vendas Novas.