Affected by the rains, coastal cities in São Paulo fail in prevention, say experts.
Communication and alert systems need to be improved, and investments in equipment and personnel are necessary, they say.
247 - Affected by heavy rains in recent days, the cities on the northern coast of São Paulo have documents that guide their growth and disaster response. However, there are flaws in their implementation, according to experts interviewed by [source name]. Folha de S. Paul.
There is a need for improved equipment and personnel. Furthermore, given the forecast of rain for the region, there was a lack of proper preparation, experts say.
"If we have a forecast, even if it's for 200 mm, we need Civil Defense called in, doctors on call, and it seems that the municipalities don't have sirens," says Marcio Cataldi, coordinator of the climate system monitoring and modeling laboratory at UFF (Federal Fluminense University).
Cataldi states that warnings about potential disasters need to reach community leaders, so they can then pass them on to the population. Furthermore, according to him, Civil Defense needs its own team of meteorologists, geotechnical engineers, and hydrologists. It is also necessary, according to Cataldi, to create a contingency system that includes sirens, personnel training, and a disaster plan. It is also necessary to invest in equipment such as radar. "The cheapest one costs R$ 2 million. Compared to the cost of recovering the area, it's nothing."
Geologist Álvaro Rodrigues dos Santos, former director of planning and management at IPT (Technological Research Institute of the State of São Paulo), linked to USP, states that "the Serra do Mar mountain range has one of the highest rainfall rates in the country, it has always been that way. Extreme rainfall events occur in this region, with an estimated recurrence of ten years, such as the one that hit the northern coast of São Paulo."
He cited two cities in the state that are examples in disaster prevention due to rainfall. "Santos and São Vicente received their Geotechnical Charter back in the mid-1980s, the recommendations were rigorously applied, and the number of fatal accidents on hillsides was reduced."
Eduardo Mario Mendiondo, scientific coordinator of Ceped (Center for Education and Research on Disasters) at USP, reinforces the need for investments in Civil Defense and says that Brazil has already learned how to prevent deaths among the most vulnerable classes of the population. "We have [in Brazil] 40 risk areas, with 70 million people living year after year with flash floods, landslides and lack of basic sanitation."
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