Deadly Portugal storms kill 18 and leave billions in destruction

A series of violent storms has battered mainland Portugal, killing at least 18 people and causing severe damage. High winds, heavy rain, and flooding left hundreds injured, displaced residents, and cut off entire communities. The government has already allocated 3.5 billion euros in emergency aid to address the crisis.

The destruction began with Storm Kristin, which struck with winds up to 200 kilometres per hour and torrential downpours. Two more storms—Leonardo and Marta—followed closely, worsening the impact. The worst-affected areas included Leiria, Coimbra, Santarém, and Lisbon, where losses could surpass five billion euros.

Power outages left many without electricity for days. In response, energy providers Endesa and EDP approved all 4,270 requests for payment deferrals. Customers were not charged for the days they had no power, and fixed fees for those periods were refunded. Those who deferred payments can now spread repayments over up to six months. Despite the scale of the disaster, the number of assistance requests remains in line with the usual annual figures for these regions. Emergency services carried out preemptive evacuations in flood-risk zones, but many communities still faced severe disruption.

The storms have left a trail of destruction, with recovery efforts ongoing across the hardest-hit districts. The government's emergency funding aims to support rebuilding, while energy providers have eased financial pressure on affected households. Officials continue to assess the full extent of the damage as conditions stabilise.