Natural disasters and emergencies: government announces measures to improve cooperation between security forces.
The Ministry of Justice and Public Security has issued a warning about the 'increased frequency and severity of floods, wildfires, and landslides'.
247 - The National Secretariat of Public Security (Senasp), of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP), launched the Integrated Response Operations for Disaster Situations (Respad) program, at an event held at the Federal Police headquarters in Brasília (DF). According to the MJSP, the objective is to “improve coordination between the Military Fire Departments, public security forces, Civil Defense and other bodies responsible for crisis management in order to ensure greater efficiency in dealing with natural disasters”. The decision was announced this Thursday (13).
The ministry stated that, "given the increasing frequency and severity of events such as floods, wildfires, and landslides, Respad seeks to structure a national model based on inter-institutional cooperation to improve the preparedness of teams and enhance integrated action in emergency situations."
Brazil experienced a record number of hydrological and geo-hydrological disasters in 2023, according to the National Center for Monitoring and Alerts of Natural Disasters (Cemaden). A total of 1.161 disaster events were recorded, with 716 associated with hydrological events, such as river overflows, and 445 of geological origin, such as landslides.
Regarding disaster alerts, Cemaden issued a total of 3.425 alerts for the monitored municipalities throughout last year, comprising 1.813 hydrological alerts and 1.612 geo-hydrological alerts. This is the third highest number of disaster alerts issued since the Center's creation in 2011.
There were 132 deaths associated with rain-related events, with 9.263 people injured or ill, and 74 left homeless. In total, 524 people were displaced (left their homes but are living with relatives or friends). The most affected regions were the South of the country, municipalities in metropolitan areas of major capitals, the Maranhão Valley, southeastern Pará, and riverside municipalities along the Amazon River.
In terms of material damage, the losses amounted to more than R$ 5 billion in infrastructure works, public facilities, and housing units. The economic losses reported by the system are close to R$ 25 billion, including both public and private sectors.
More worries
In January 2024, a survey by the Civil House and the Ministry of Cities indicated that 1.942 Brazilian cities have a portion of their population living in areas susceptible to landslides, flash floods, and inundations. This number represents 34% of the total number of Brazilian municipalities, which exceed 5,5. The figure was also 136% higher than that identified in a 2012 survey by the Civil House.
According to the roundtable discussion "Climate Crisis and Disasters as a Consequence of El Niño 2023-2024: Observed and Expected Impacts in Brazil," promoted by the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, Brazil is among the 10 countries with the largest area affected by landslides. Five thousand fatal occurrences have been recorded, affecting the lives of more than 300,000 people in the last 20 years. Of the 5,500 Brazilian municipalities, more than 4,000 do not have a disaster warning system.
Regarding wildfire statistics, Brazil recorded 278.229 fire outbreaks throughout 2024. According to the BD Queimadas program of INPE (National Institute for Space Research), the number of fire outbreaks increased by 46% compared to 2023.
The National Secretary of Public Security, Mario Sarrubbo, emphasized the importance of institutionalizing a coordinated structure for disaster response. "We needed to structure a model that would allow us to provide, finance, coordinate, and guarantee a prompt response to save lives, protect property, and ensure that the Federal Government acts quickly in the face of major disasters, especially those resulting from climate change," he said.
The proposal is coordinated by Senasp, in partnership with the National Council of Commanders-General of Fire Departments. Because it is a cross-cutting issue, there is a planned agenda for other partnerships, such as the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), and the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama).
Strategy
The Director of Integrated Operations and Intelligence at Senasp, Rodney da Silva, emphasized the need for collaboration between institutions for the project's success. "We will work in partnership with each agency involved to collectively build one of the largest disaster prevention and response projects in the country," he explained.
According to the director, Respad is not limited to crisis management, but also focuses on disaster prevention. "Our main objective is to establish an efficient model of coordination, command, and control to ensure effective strategic planning for crisis management and disaster prevention," he stated.
Main axes of Respad
- Integrated operations: implementation of a unified coordination, command and control model that utilizes the National Integrated Command and Control Center (CICCN) to ensure agile and effective responses.
- Training and development: ongoing professional training, with an emphasis on the technical qualification of Military Fire Departments and other security forces.
- Operational guidelines and technical guides: standardization of response protocols, ensuring coordinated and efficient action throughout the national territory.
Modernization and investments: acquisition of equipment and technologies that increase the responsiveness and safety of the teams.
- Mapping and diagnosis: detailed survey on the seasonality of disasters and the structure of response forces in Brazil, supporting strategic and preventive actions.
