We talk a lot about how to prevent natural disasters like mudslides. Currently in Brazil, where hundreds of people have been killed in a series of mudslides, a debate is raging over how to warn people about imminent dangers.
The government has plans to launch a national alert system to help people in high-risk areas get out of harm’s way sooner. The United Nations made recommendations in 2005 on improving disaster preparedness, and a Sao Paulo newspaper is criticizing Brazil’s Civil Defense agency for not putting the alert system in place faster or making infrastructure improvements in at-risk regions. The government has also been criticized for allowing homes to be built on steep mountain slopes and in floodplains, as well as for not having emergency evacuation plans in place.
Several cities north of Rio—Teresopolis, Nova Friburgo, Petropolis and Sumidouro—have been hit the hardest. The mountainous resort area has had several days of heavy rain, and more rain is expected. As of Tuesday, 689 people in Brazil are known to have died in flooding and mudslides, and 120 more are missing. Army helicopters are rescuing people trapped by the slides—roads have been blocked and bridges destroyed—although they haven’t been able to reach all areas, and some people, fearing looters, are refusing to leave their still-standing homes.
Thousands of tents have been set up for those who have lost their homes or have fled from dangerous areas, and spaces such as warehouses, gyms, and churches are being set up to provide more permanent shelter.
More than 5,000 homes have been destroyed, and the damage so far is estimated at over $1.2 billion.