*A drone shot of the Quinta da Chumbaria in Leiria, Portugal after multiple dangerous storms ripped through the Iberian peninsula. Photo courtesy Sarah McGuinness*

By Elizabeth ”Boo” Lunt

Hemp-lime building materials proved resilient after extreme weather disasters in Portugal this winter, owners of an eco-tourism village say.

In January and February, 2026, a devastating series of storms struck central Portugal, leaving widespread destruction across the Leiria region. Beginning on January 28, hurricane-force winds, torrential rain, and flooding battered towns and rural communities. In the weeks that followed, additional storms arrived one after another, prolonging the damage and delaying recovery. Two storms, Kristin, and then Leonardo, struck the Iberian peninsula just one week apart.

For Sarah and Steve McGuiness, who purchased the small hilltop village of Chumbaria in 2020 and have been renovating the buildings with lots of volunteer help, the experience was overwhelming.

“We have been to hell and back the last few days,” Sarah wrote in a social media update shortly after the first storm hit. “Me and Steve and the dogs are ok, but Chumbaria is pretty much destroyed.”

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The storm tore roofs off, uprooted trees, and ripped apart buildings across the region. Many areas lost electricity, water, and communications for weeks. Wind speeds exceeded 200 km/h, and torrential rain caused flooding of both the landscape and inside damaged buildings.

Yet amid the destruction, one building material demonstrated an important advantage in the aftermath of the storms: hemp blocks produced by Cânhamor, also in Portugal, and used in the walls of a couple of renovated structures in the village.

“We talked to Cânhamor and the [hemp] blocks can cope – unlike our non-insulated Portuguese house!” Sarah messaged HempBuild Magazine.

A GoFundMe to help with recovering Chumbaria was set up for the business.

*Hemp block walls with leaking water from a storm-destroyed roof at Chumbaria. The blocks dry quickly when water is wicked away. Photo courtesy Sarah McGuiness*

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Hemp’s Advantage in Extreme Weather

Hempcrete has long been valued for breathability and moisture management. During severe storms, those properties can make a critical difference.

As Asheville, NC-based hempcrete designer/builder Tim Callahan noted in an earlier HempBuild Magazine article examining hurricane damage in North Carolina, hemp walls behave very differently from conventional stick-frame construction when exposed to water.

In standard construction, water that enters a wall cavity often becomes trapped behind drywall, insulation, and vapor barriers. These sealed cavities can remain damp for long periods, frequently leading to mold and structural deterioration. However, hempcrete is a breathable material, so moisture can move through the wall and evaporate rather than becoming trapped.

Callahan explained that even if hemp is exposed to standing water during flooding—“even a couple of feet”—it can often dry out and remain habitable without the widespread mold issues typical of conventional construction.

“Hemp can withstand getting soaked and then dry out and be habitable,” Callahan said, unlike most other building materials which must be removed and replaced after water intrusion. In the aftermath of the storms in Portugal, that ability to absorb and release moisture became particularly important.

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*Downed trees in Leiria, Portugal after winter storms in January, 2026. Photo courtesy of Telma Goncalves*

Living Through a “Hurricane Week”

For the residents of Chumbaria, the storms came in relentless waves. Just days after the first storm, another arrived.

“This wasn’t just any old storm—this was a hurricane,” Sarah wrote in an update on February 4. “Our hearts go out to everyone that has been affected. We are currently getting the start of storm Fernando and it’s torrential rain and blowing a gale again, so we’re not out of the woods just yet.”

The damage continued to accumulate as additional storms moved through the region.

By February 8, Sarah wrote “This week at Chumbaria has been as bad as last week. We have had a total of five storms, one after the other… wind speeds in excess of 200 km/hr, torrential rain, flooding and storm damage everywhere.”

Despite the destruction, she emphasized that they were fortunate compared with many others.

“So many people have been affected, some have sadly lost everything and our hearts go out to those who have been affected even worse than us.”

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*A home office in the Chumbaria village was destroyed by the storms. Photo courtesy of Sarah McGuiness*

Weeks Without Power

The storms caused extensive damage to the region’s infrastructure. Hundreds of kilometers of power and telecommunications lines were destroyed.

“We have had no mains power or internet connection for 14 days,” Sarah reported on February 10. “In our district there is an estimated 670 km of power and internet cables down.”

Some families remained without electricity for weeks.

Repair efforts soon expanded beyond Portugal as international crews joined the recovery effort.

According to a February 15 report from Safe Communities Portugal, Irish and French technicians traveled thousands of kilometers to help repair the electricity grid in the Leiria region after the storms Kristin and Leonardo.

Teams from Ireland’s ESB Networks—including contractors from Gaeltec Utilities—joined Portuguese utility crews to restore power under extremely difficult conditions.

For communities still struggling with the aftermath, the assistance was deeply appreciated.

“These guys are nothing short of heroes,” Sarah wrote after a generator was installed in their area.

*Windows were broken in storm damage at Quinta da Chumbaria. Photo courtesy of Sarah McGuiness*

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*Volunteers arrive to help cleanup Quinta da Chumbaria. Photo courtesy of Sarah McGuiness*

Recovery Through Community

Despite the scale of the destruction, recovery efforts have been driven by remarkable community support.

After the Chumbaria residents issued a call for help, dozens of volunteers arrived from a nearby church.

“Within 48 hours we had nearly 50 people from one of our local churches here to help,” Sarah wrote, “we got more achieved in one day than we could have managed on our own in months.”

Neighbors, friends, and supporters from around the world contributed donations, equipment, and physical labor.

Even Yip and Paul, fellow contributors to the BBC series “Help We Bought a Village” arrived to help.

“Many hands make for getting a lot done,” Sarah said, noting that the help had restored their hope during an otherwise exhausting recovery.

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*Hemp blocks withstood the extreme climate damage at Chumbaria. Photo courtesy of Sarah McGuiness*

Still Standing

More than a month after the first storm struck, the residents of Chumbaria continue the long process of rebuilding their village.

“We are exhausted, overwhelmed at the monumental tasks ahead of us,” Sarah wrote in early March. “But there have also been very positive moments.”

The hemp blocks have contributed to Sarah’s optimism. “It’s doing an amazing job!” she said, drying out well and suffering no damage from all the water.

The couple remains determined to rebuild—with the help of neighbors, volunteers, and supporters from around the world.

To contribute to the Chumbaria GoFundMe, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-chumbaria-rise-again-after-a-devastating-storm