2024 Rio Grande do Sul Brazil Floods

• In terms of impact, many people, including one economist said this disaster is most comparable to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Like the disparities highlighted by Katrina, CNN said the flooding laid “bare some of the country’s persistent social problems: inequality in the emerging economy is still rife; crime rates remain high; and local governance is often dogged by mismanagement and, sometimes, corruption.”
• The flooding occurred in several already marginalized communities, including 240 favelas, 40 quilombola communities (formed by descendants of slaves) and five Indigenous villages impacted. Citing federal research institution Fiocruz, Agencia Brasil said, “The vulnerability of these communities is aggravated by socio-economic factors and the lack of adequate infrastructure, which are common challenges in historically marginalized regions.”
• Despite the inequality, World Resources Institute said, “Amidst all this tragedy, we hold onto a hopeful outlook. Reports from our team in Porto Alegre indicate that the greatest rescue and assistance efforts are coming from ‘our people,’ ordinary citizens. They are people who have chosen to stay in the city and help neighbors and strangers in the most affected neighborhoods. They are risking their health and well-being to wade into the muddy waters of Guaíba that have inundated the city.”
• Rio Grande do Sul’s economy is likely to fall this year as much as 2-4% and could possibly impact the country’s GDP. The state’s economy is as big Uruguay and Paraguay combined.
• Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite estimated it will cost $3.7 billion to rebuild the state.
• At least 45,000 businesses in Porto Alegre alone, were affected by the floods. The city’s Chamber of Store Managers “estimates that the total cost to commerce in the city was 487.7 million reals ($91m) between April 29 through May 26.”
• As of June 14 at 6 p.m. local time, the state Civil Defense agency reported:
  • There have been 176 confirmed deaths, and at least 39 are still missing. At least 806 people have been injured.
  • At least 422, 473 people have been displaced, and almost 2.4 million were affected across 478 municipalities. More than 10,000 people remain in one of 227 temporary shelters still open across 55 communities.
  • At least 77,874 people and 12,543 animals were rescued during search and rescue emergency operations.’

At least 200,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed, displacing almost 600,000 people.

People who have lost homes will need temporary shelter and assistance rebuilding their homes. Funders can assist by providing support to address needs in temporary living situations and then rebuilding homes. Ideally, housing stock should be rebuilt in a more flood-resilient manner by improving the quality of construction and investing in flood-resistant repair techniques.

Mayor Mateus Trojan of Muçum, a town 90 miles upriver from Porto Alegre says many of the town’s 5,000 residents will need to relocate. He intends to build 40% of the town away from the existing footprint. This is the third time it has flooded in seven months.

The corn and soy harvests were disrupted, and many fields of rice and other grains were underwater, meaning Brazil will likely need to import rice to stabilize supplies. Livestock were killed, and work at meat production plants  stopped because of flooding.

Many grain silos flooded and water sat there for weeks. While the Rio Grande Port is operating normally, grain deliveries have been disrupted due to rail disruptions and flooded roads, diverting trucks for hundreds of miles. The port is a major hub for grain exports.

Brazil’s National Confederation of Municipalities estimates agriculture and livestock losses of more than $245 million. The state is one of the major agricultural-producing states in Brazil – about 12.6% of the country’s agricultural GDP – including 70% of Brazil’s rice.

Conversely, the livestock and agricultural sectors make up about 17% of the state’s GDP. Major crops include “soybean, rice, wheat, corn, dairy, animal protein and animal feed, fruits, and vegetables. As an impact, the Brazilian bank Bradesco forecasts a 3.5 percent recession in Brazil’s agricultural sector in 2024.”

As with many other recent natural hazards, climate change has played a significant role in these floods. Climate change makes already fragile regions uninhabitable by increasing the impact of storms, floods, wildfires and droughts. Marginalized, displaced and otherwise vulnerable populations in these areas face the biggest impacts from climate change.

Funders can help address these issues by investing in preparedness, mitigation, risk reduction and climate adaptation. It is important that this funding be made available to meet the needs of the most marginalized people.

Extensive clean-up is required for the immediate effects of the flooding. Transportation infrastructure was also affected, and roads and bridges will need repair. The government said it has been unable to put a cost to damages but that the loss of transportation infrastructure is significant.

The impact on critical infrastructure has challenged the ability of governments and humanitarian organizations to carry out both search and rescue and delivery of supplies.