A state of emergency has been issued in Portugal as the deadly Storm Kristin continues to tear through the country. The alert, first issued on Thursday, January 29, has since been extended in certain areas until Sunday, February 8.

Gusts of up to 125mph and heavy rain have battered the country, causing severe damage and deaths. Recovery efforts are ongoing, with Portuguese Prime minister Luís Montenegro pledging €2.5 billion (£2.1 billion) toward recovery plans. The special emergency responses were initially meant to expire today. However, with further rainfall forecasted, the decision to extend it was made.

In a press conference following an emergency cabinet meeting, Mr Montenegro warned that “some areas will face more serious situations, which may even require evacuation”. The prime minister also added that “much of the ground is saturated”.

The storm has caused numerous tragic deaths, including the death of eight people in the holiday hotspot of Leiria. Just outside the city, a 73-year-old man also died today near Leiria as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning from a backup generator.

The city’s councillor, Luis Lopes, has urged residents to take precautions while carrying out home repairs and to keep generators “outside in ventilated areas to stay safe”, reports The Sun.

Deaths in other parts of the country have also been reported. According to emergency services, one person died after a tree collapsed on their car in Vila Franca de Xira, just outside of Lisbon.

Portugal’s mainland has been placed on alert by the country’s national weather agency, IPMA, until Monday, February 6, for heavy rain and winds up to 60mph.

“Current weather predictions are very severe and could cause major damage,” Mario Silvestre, national civil protection commander, said.

“The soil can no longer retain water, so all the rain will run off into the basin areas. It is not a question of if, but when, and how severe it will be.”

The public has also received texts from the civil protection agency alerting them of further flood risks.

The storm first hit central and northern Portugal overnight on Tuesday, causing flooding, landslides, and damage to buildings and infrastructure. More than one million people also lost power, according to the power company E-REDES; however, that number has since dropped to 167,000.