“To date, of the 134 applications validated by the municipality and forwarded to the CCDRC [Coordination and Regional Development Commission of the Centre] for review, 128 have already received the corresponding financial support, totalling €285,310,” the Vila de Rei City Council revealed in a statement.

According to the data provided, 231 applications were submitted, representing a combined requested amount of €1,290,679.

Following a technical review of the files and in accordance with criteria established by the CCDRC, the municipality approved 134 applications, while the remaining 97 were either rejected or withdrawn by the applicants.

“Regarding the approved applications, applicants requested support totalling €711,849. However, after verifying the actual damage caused by the storm, a sum of €302,966 was validated, corresponding exclusively to losses directly related to the storm's impact,” the statement noted.

The 97 rejected applications represented €578,829 of the total requested amount.

The Vila de Rei City Council reports that these applications “mostly involved situations that did not meet eligibility requirements—specifically properties that were not primary, permanent residences; outbuildings and ancillary structures; withdrawals by applicants; or cases where damages had already been compensated through insurance policies.”

The Municipality further emphasises that beneficiaries of this support who hold home insurance and have also received compensation from their insurers must report this to the CCDRC. This is necessary to ensure proper coordination of the aid provided and to avoid potential non-compliance issues that could lead to fines or the repayment of funds received.

At least 19 people died in Portugal between late January and early March of this year following the passage of the Kristin, Leonardo, and Marta storm systems, which also left hundreds of people injured, homeless, or displaced. More than half of the deaths occurred during recovery operations.

The storms, which battered the mainland for approximately three weeks, particularly in the Central, Lisbon and Tagus Valley, and Alentejo regions, caused the total or partial destruction of thousands of homes, businesses, and facilities. They also led to fallen trees and structures, disruptions to power, water, and communications, and flooding, resulting in damage exceeding five billion euros.