Structural damage to the port of Topo

The Hipólito storm, which has recently hit the Azores, has caused structural damage that appears to be significant at the port of Topo on the island of São Jorge. According to Diário Insular (DI) from Angra do Heroísmo newspaper, the consortium that built the infrastructure has already been contacted to assess the damage. According to sources contacted by DI in São Jorge, the situation is so serious that works worth several million euros are at stake.
The Topo port could not withstand the violence of the waves, not least because it already had problems of unknown origin – cracks and “holes” – which should have been resolved by the construction consortium before the storm.
However, according to DI, the necessary equipment was held up in São Miguel, preventing the consolidation work from taking place before the Hippolytus depression hit the Azores.
A source in the regional government told DI that as well as determining the extent of the damage and the cost of repairs, it is necessary to understand why the infrastructure collapsed.
Likewise, said the same source, it is important to understand the causes of the problems the port already had.
The Topo port was inaugurated in 2020 and is designed to serve fishing and tourism in São Jorge. The works cost around seven million euros. However, the port’s conditions have always been contested locally, raising doubts about the poor protection against waves, which can be very strong in the area.
According to DI news sources, the port’s operability is limited since the work to flatten the bottom has not yet been carried out, which will require the use of explosives.

in Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance)  at California State University, Fresno–PBBI thanks the sponsorship of the Luso-American Development Foundation from Lisbon, Portugal (FLAD)