Lisbon, Aug. 19, 2026 (Lusa) - The Ombudsman's Office identified «a series of areas for improvement» in the support measures put in place following Storm Kristin, and also noted good practices in the response to the affected communities, recommending the establishment of a scheme and a fund for natural and seismic disasters.
According to the report «Storm Kristin – Review of support for housing reconstruction», published on Wednesday, the adverse weather conditions that began in the early hours of 28 January affected several regions of the country, but the most significant impacts were recorded mainly in the municipalities of Leiria, Marinha Grande and Pombal.
The succession of storms caused «significant human, social, economic and property damage, compromising the functioning of essential services and profoundly affecting people's living conditions, as well as economic activity in the affected areas», the report said.
The scale of the damage led the government to declare a state of emergency in the most affected municipalities and to approve a series of legislative and administrative measures to provide an immediate response to affected populations, prompting the Ombudsman to reflect on the public response to such situations.
For the institution, led since 15 July by Luísa Neto, «the constraints observed mostly stemmed from the need to devise solutions whilst the measures were being implemented, rather than from a lack of solutions».
Among the measures to mitigate these constraints, the Ombudsman's Office recommends «the creation of an integrated framework for disaster management, a single digital platform and a fund for natural and seismic disasters, including a compulsory insurance scheme for homes and business infrastructure», accompanied by public support to ensure access for the most vulnerable families.
«The definition of the extraordinary support schemes took place against a backdrop of high uncertainty, requiring successive legislative, regulatory and interpretative adjustments during their implementation,» states the Ombudsman's Office, noting that the work of the Task Force proved «crucial in harmonising procedures and identifying areas where the schemes needed improvement».
The implementation of the measures, it adds, «highlighted opportunities for improvement in areas such as the eligibility of damage claims, the demonstration of legal requirements and the coordination between public support and insurance compensation», which led, in particular, to «operational challenges and delays in the overall processing of applications» for the reconstruction of homes.
In this regard, the «creation of a single digital platform for disaster management represents an opportunity to incorporate the lessons learnt from this experience».
«The extraordinary support schemes generally met the needs arising from Storm Kristin», but «the low level of multi-risk home insurance cover, the existence of underinsurance and limited risk management literacy present opportunities for strengthening resilience», the Ombudsman's Office warns.
Furthermore, it adds, Kristin «highlighted opportunities to strengthen the Portuguese insurance market, including the potential to increase cover for housing, reduce underinsurance, and improve access to insurance in areas particularly exposed to extreme weather events».
Regarding support for families in need or facing a loss of income, the authorities approved 1,936 of the 4,840 applications, totalling €1.423 million; of the 1,596 applications for simplified ‘lay-off' schemes, 953 were approved. Authorities approved all 948 applications for payment instalment agreements covering contributions for January to March.
Regarding support for Private Social Solidarity Institutions (IPSS), authorities approved 158 of the 382 applications, totalling €2.982 million.
Among the twenty-five or so recommendations, the report calls for the development of «a national legal framework for the allocation of support in disaster situations» and «a clear governance model, identifying the responsibilities of each entity».
It also recommends that «human and technical resources exist, particularly in the fields of engineering, architecture and other specialisms critical to damage assessment and reconstruction», and that «pools of experts or pre-established collaboration mechanisms that can be activated or mobilised in emergency situations» be created, through agreements with professional bodies and universities.
Other recommendations include clarifying the relationship between insurance compensation and public support, increasing home insurance coverage, mitigating underinsurance and improving protection for areas most exposed to climate risks.
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