Shortly after the lighthouse was completed , it was abandoned during the 1964 Rosais earthquake , when seismic events and an underwater eruption hit the Ponta dos Rosais , causing damage to 900 homes and 400 buildings in the parish of Rosais . The earthquake caused enough panic to warrant the evacuation of its residents to the neighbouring island of Terceira , which included the temporary evacuation of the lighthouse families . Over time these fears were mitigated and life resumed at the complex
1964 Rosais earthquake
1964 Rosais earthquake
Lighthouse of Ponta dos Rosais