Funchal, the capital has also been destroyed in its beautiful tourist zones as well as some suburbs. There are 2 rivers running on either side of the town, and they both broke their banks. In the countryside, it is grim too, with people homeless and cut off in the remains of villages without drinking water. Roads have been washed away in many places so access is a priority. We are lucky, we have our phone and electric back on. The emergency services have done a wonderful job.
This afternoon I went with Lionel to get petrol, there was a long queue. Later I went with a friend, Samantha, from a neighbouring village to our local grocery shop, it was full of provisions. She was piling her trolley up with water as she has no water and a hole in her roof. On the radio she heard they want to evacuate her village, Ponto do Sol, as the land is water-logged. Driving back, another dark mist was coming in from the sea and the valley was quiet, she decided to go home before the next storm blew in. To night on the news they are going to evacuate Ribeiro Brava.
  Sam reckoned the torrents came down from the mountains at around midday on Saturday. That morning, feeling that things were not good because of the heavy rain, she said she cancelled going into Funchal to a cinema matinee. She was saved by her intuition. I was saved by the vet.

  I was due to take Amber to the vet’s surgery on Saturday 11am in Ribeira Brava. On Friday Lionel and I spent the afternoon shopping near Funchal at the ‘Madeira’ shopping centre. The weather seemed to have improved. We then went into the centre of Funchal at 4pm and parked in the new shopping centre Dolce Vita. It was full and we parked on level –3. There were puddles by the car and I remember thinking there would be no escape if it flooded. We are both hopeless at finding the lift, and landed up climbing up the emergency exit stairwell. We climbed all the way up to the 2nd floor before a door let us through. Again I was thinking if there was a flood or a fire in the car parks, no one would escape. Then I walked through into Dolce Vita. It is the show piece of the island, with glass escalators, spacious seating areas for coffee, late night pharmacy, beautiful shops and friendly assistants. Built into the hillside the torrent would have gone in on the second floor and down through the floors. They still have not got the bodies out of the car parks in the shopping centres.
  Next we went to see the dentist nearby in a new building in the main square. On the 4th floor you could see the grand concert hall, the Georgian style arcades, the marina with its restaurants and boats. In the square the trees were as tall as the building, swans swimming on the pond, an outdoor amphitheatre for summer concerts. You would never have thought this beautiful location was about to be the epicentre of a devastating landslide.
  When we returned to the house quite late, I asked Lionel if he wanted to go to the vet with me. Jokingly he said, ‘no thanks, there’s nothing wrong with me.’ As he spoke the phone rang. It was the vet cancelling Amber’s appointment. “There’s a problem,” he said, “not Saturday.” So we rescheduled for Monday evening. I am convinced that phone call saved my life. I would have driven the following day into Ribeira Brava in the rain, completely unaware that anything was wrong. We did not know the phones were dead in the morning. We only watch 150 Mezzo, a French Music channel on TV, so would not have heard any flood warnings had there been any. The road to Ribeira Brava was destroyed in several places by torrential landslides, I would probably not have made it as far as the town. So Amber and I had a narrow escape, and she may yet produce puppies.
  All the diggers are out and the repairs in progress day and night. Don’t be put off visiting in the future. We bought coverlets for our visitors at Madeira shopping, and look forward to showing you an island restored to its former beauty.

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