The climate phenomenon that hit Rio Grande do Sul in recent weeks was marked by the disasters it left in its wake. In the city of Porto Alegre, regions of the islands and neighborhoods, especially in the south zone, had streets and homes flooded, water gushing through storm drains in the streets, destruction of structures and numerous material losses. Lake Guaíba had the third highest high in its history, reaching 2.70m on Thursday morning (14).
Because of this, Mayor Sebastião Melo (MDB) announced on Thursday that the municipality of Porto Alegre entered an emergency situationwhich was confirmed this Friday in the publication ofO Official Gazette of the Municipality. The document describes that this measure was taken “due to a disaster clified and coded as Heavy rains”.
The decree mentions the rain, the extensive damage to public roads that impair circulation, the impact on communities residing in risk and highly vulnerable areas and material damage and economic and social losses, in addition to recognizing the istance given by public authorities – in terms of rescue istance, availability of equipment and shelters, but which has not yet been able to meet all the demands resulting from the storms. According to city hall, around 60 people are under shelter in the capital.
As announced by the mayor, this Thursday (14), the Issuing the alert can facilitate replacement purchases for damaged items. The Municipal Department of Water and Sewage (Dmae), responsible with Civil Defense for monitoring the impacts of rain, says it is on alert regarding water levels, especially in Guaíba and, if necessary, will close the floodgates, but points out that it is under control at the moment.
The decree characterizes the level 1 emergencyand authorizes the action of municipal bodies, together with the Civil Defense, to provide istance, as well as the call for volunteer forces and the carrying out of fundraising campaigns within the community. The decree is valid for up to 180 days after publication – until March 13, 2024 – if the state of emergency is not lifted and requires review after this period.
Sebastião Melo commented, on Thursday, that there is no way to accommodate all calls, and that the City Hall continues to respond to the most serious emergencies and that “it is not enough to welcome, it is necessary to restore public space”.