FicarPasso 3
Rádio a pilhas e manivela
Why: num confinamento, é por onde chegam as instruções — mesmo sem luz nem rede.
Essential guide · Base level · 7 min
Essential guideBase level · open to all7 min read
Stay or go: how to decide in each emergency
The risks in Portugal and the rule for each, how to shelter safely at home in a chemical accident or a fire in your building, and how to leave in time.
Reviewed 1 Oct 2026
11·CStay or go
In 30 seconds
The essentials, in four points.
Orders
If the authorities tell you to leave or to stay, do it. They know what is happening beyond your street.
Early
If you have to leave, leave before everyone else. Leaving late, with smoke, water or traffic on the road, is the most dangerous.
Stay
In a blackout, a storm or a chemical or radiological accident, the safest thing is almost always to stay at home with everything closed.
No return
Once you've left, don't go back for anything. No object is worth the risk.
01The risks in Portugal
Every emergency has its own answer — and it isn't always the same.
Portugal faces several risks: earthquakes and tsunamis in the centre and south, wildfires every summer, floods in winter, storms, blackouts and accidents at industrial sites. There's no single rule: there are risks where escaping saves lives and others where leaving home is what puts you in danger.
Stay or go, risk by risk
| Risk | General rule | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Earthquake | Stay protected during the shaking; leave afterwards if there is damage | Earthquake |
| Tsunami | Leave at once, on foot, for high ground | Earthquake |
| Wildfire | Leave early; if the fire is already on the road, shelter at home | Wildfire |
| Flood | Leave before the water arrives; if it's too late, go up | Floods |
| Fire in your building | Leave by the stairs; with smoke on the stairs, stay and seal the door | This guide |
| Chemical or radiological accident | Shelter at home, unless ordered to evacuate | This guide |
| Blackout and storm | Stay at home | Blackout |
| Extreme heat or cold | Stay somewhere cool or heated | Heat and cold |
These are general rules. In every case, orders from the authorities come first.
02Deciding
Three questions, in this order.
1
Have you received an evacuation order — Civil Protection text, siren, authorities on the spot?
Yes
Leave nowBy the route you're given, with your grab bag. Tell your out-of-area contact. Don't turn back.
No
2
Have you been told to stay indoors, or is there smoke, a cloud or a chemical smell outside?
Yes
Stay and close everythingDoors and windows shut, ventilation off, radio on. See section 03.
No
3
Is your home no longer safe — building damage, fire, water coming in?
Yes
Leave by the safest wayTo the meeting point. If you can't get out, go up, shut yourself in a room and call 112.
No
Stay and keep watchGrab bag ready, radio on, phone charged. The situation may change.
03If you stay
Get in. Close up. Get informed.
After an accident at a factory, a hazardous-materials spill or a radiological accident, the authorities may ask people to stay indoors. A closed house protects you far more than walking outside breathing contaminated air.
Step 1
Get in
Go into the nearest building. If you're outside, don't run home through the affected area. Bring children and pets inside.
Step 2
Close up
Doors and windows shut; turn off air conditioning, extractor fans and ventilation. If asked, seal gaps with duct tape and plastic or wet towels.
Step 3
Get informed
Radio on and phone to hand. Don't go out — not even to collect your children or help someone — until the authorities say it is safe. Schools have their own emergency plans.
Fire in your building
Staying or going depends on the stairsPlate 11·D — Fire in a block of flatsCross-section of a residential building
1
Before opening a door, touch the handle with the back of your hand. If it's hot or smoke is coming in, don't open it.
2
If the door is cool, stand behind it and open it slowly.
3
In smoke, cover your mouth and nose with a wet cloth and keep as low to the floor as you can.
4
If you can't get out, stay at home, close the door, put wet towels in the gaps of doors and windows and signal from the window — wave a towel or sheet if you can't shout. Call 112.
5
If your clothes catch fire, lie on the ground and roll over to smother the flames.
04If you go
Leaving well means leaving early, light and together.
1
Leave early. Roads fill up and petrol stations run dry. If you're going, go before everyone else.
2
Closed shoes and long clothes. They protect from glass, debris, heat and cold. Never flip-flops.
3
Take the grab bag and nothing else. Documents, medicines, pets. Don't waste time saving belongings.
4
Lock up. Doors and windows; if there's time and it's safe, turn off the gas and electricity.
5
Tell your out-of-area contact where you're going, and head to the meeting point or agreed place.
6
Follow the routes given by the authorities, even if they're longer. Some roads look clear and aren't.
7
Don't turn back. Only return when the authorities say it's safe.
05Six costly mistakes
Stay-or-go myths — and what to do instead.
Myth
“Staying at home is always safest.”
In a tsunami, an approaching wildfire or a rising flood, staying can be fatal. It depends on the risk — see the table.
Myth
“Leaving is always safest.”
In a chemical accident or a wildfire already on the road, leaving can expose you to danger. Follow orders.
Myth
“I'll wait and see how it develops.”
Waiting takes away your best options. Get ready at the first warning so you can leave in time if needed.
Myth
“I'll collect the kids from school during a lockdown.”
Leaving shelter puts you at risk. Schools have their own emergency plans. Wait for the authorities.
Myth
“I'll just pop back for one thing.”
It's one of the mistakes that costs most lives. No object is worth the risk.
Myth
“Iodine tablets protect against everything.”
They only protect the thyroid from radioactive iodine, and are only taken when health authorities say so.
06Recommended equipment
To stay safe or leave in time.
To stay, you need to get information and close up the house properly. To leave, you need your grab bag ready. These items serve both decisions.
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FicarPasso 2
Fita adesiva larga (americana)
Why: para vedar janelas e frinchas com plástico se as autoridades o pedirem.
Incêndio no prédioSecção 03
Manta ignífuga de cozinha
Why: abafa um fogo pequeno de óleo ou de roupa sem água. A Câmara de Lisboa recomenda-a para a cozinha.
SairSecção 04
Mochila de caminhada com cinto de cintura
Why: a mala pronta junto à porta é o que te permite sair cedo quando é preciso.
Quick card
Print it. Stick it by the front door.
Stick this sheet by the front door, next to your family plan.
Stay or go · K72 sheet
1Orders from the authorities? Follow them.
2Leaving: early, grab bag, closed shoes, don't go back.
3Tsunami: on foot, uphill. Flood: leave early; if late, go up.
4Chemical or radiological: stay, close everything, radio.
5Fire in the building: stairs clear, leave; smoke, stay and seal.
6Iodine only when health authorities say so.
11·C · k72plus.comEMERGENCY: 112
- ANEPC — Natural risks: earthquakes and tsunamis (in Portuguese)
- SGIFR / AGIF — Self-protection measures (wildfires)
- ANEPC — Floods: preventive measures (2026, in Portuguese)
- Lisbon City Council — Fire risk in your home (2024, in Portuguese) — doors, smoke on the stairs, lifts, signalling from the window
- Ready.gov (FEMA) — Hazardous materials incidents — sheltering in place: close up, ventilation off, seal
- World Health Organization — Potassium iodide in nuclear emergencies
Reviewed 1 Oct 2026 · Next review: Mar 2027 · Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
This guide gives general rules. Orders from Civil Protection, the police and firefighters always come first. In an emergency, call 112.
