APSFR — Zones with Significant Potential Risk of Floods: WFS INSPIRE

On the basis of past experience and further developments that have occurred in the meantime, critical areas (areas with significant potential risk of flooding) have been identified. Its selection was made from the analysis of diverse information, collected by different bodies of national, regional and local scope, and stored in a specific database housed in the National Water Resources Information System — SNIRH (http://snirh.pt). The information collected was mainly obtained from studies and reports and articles on floods, hydraulic projects, Hydrographic Basin Plans (1998-2001), flood news, hydrometric data (continuous records and flood marks). The data collected cover occurrences associated with the 19th, 20th and 11st centuries and information on the occurrence of floods and their consequences (hydrological information and evaluation of consequences in a quantitative or qualitative way). Among the criteria used for the selection of critical zones was the identification of loss of human life or missing and the number of people affected. The selected critical zones, located in mainland Portugal, were analysed based on the historical description of 651 recorded there. The information used was also cross-checked with information from another database of natural disasters, of hydro-geomorphological origin, aiming at its validation. In view of the information collected and its analysis, the critical areas selected have the following characteristics simultaneously: at least one missing or dead person and at least 15 affected persons (evacuated or displaced).