Minister rejects overzealousness and sets up office to prevent disaster before the Government causes it

Minister Luís Neves yesterday rejected any overzealousness in preparing for the storm and said the State must arrive before the problem does. It did. It is still standing at the door, waiting for it.

According to a ministry source, the new doctrine rests on three principles: prevent, anticipate, and hold a press conference about the first two.

To fund the measure, the Task Force for the Anticipation of Future Disasters has been created, with temporary headquarters in a shipping container and a director already appointed. The container has yet to arrive.

An aide who asked not to be identified explained the reasoning: "When disaster strikes, we get the blame. When it is prevented, we get the credit. We prefer the second option, which makes for better photo opportunities."

The Assembly's pigeon, approached by the entrance, merely observed that the country is already prepared for everything except the State that is preparing it.