Extreme Weather in Brazil

Overview

Brazil lies outside of the pathway of hurricanes, earthquakes, and has no volcanic activity, which means it is not  listed as a country that is vulnerable to natural disasters. It is actually ranked 123rd in the world index of countries most susceptible to natural disasters. However Brazil is not at the complete grace of Mother Nature. Around 85% of Brazils disasters are caused by, extensive droughts, flash flooding, and landslides. There is a pattern that comes with the distribution of rainfall in the Brazilian region, and they naturally can vary and cause extreme hydrological events. 

Climate Change

The Atlantic Forest has suffered extreme amounts of deforestation since the Portuguese colonized Brazil, in the 1500s. First the forest was used for its plentiful amount of hard wood, and then for sugar cane plantations, later it was used for cocoa, pulp, and paper industry. There is an estimated 5%-10% left of the Atlantic Forest in the NE region. Given this extreme history, the area is very vulnerable to desertification, aggravated by climate change. 

Area of Extreme Weather

The Northeast region of Brazil has experienced several major droughts. This area of Brazil includes the states of Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí and Rio Grande do Norte, it makes up 18 % of the Brazilian territory, and inhabits over 52 million people. This region is filled with beautiful beaches and is known for the lowest Human Development Index in the country. This portion of Brazil is also known for its extreme vulnerability to climate change, specifically its lengthy droughts followed by massive flooding. The region is make up of mainly savannah land in the interior and fragments of tropical rainforest in the coastal areas, most of which is in the state of Bahia.

Northeastern Droughts

The Northeast region of Brazil suffered a major drought 2012-2018. Even though Brazil has been known for its droughts since the 16th century this was one of the worst drought on record in the past 50 years for this region. This causes high risks of wildfires especially in dried-out reservoirs and famine in most rural areas. Bahia, is suffering a period of unusual drought since 2011, which affected over a million people in the region. Summer (December through March) is usually the rainy season, however this was not the case for several years. Most of the Bahia territory was classified as exceptionally and the affected areas have expanded in those past years. Nearby cities such as Feira de Santana reported that the average rainfall in the city had been 12 times less than expected. A study by the National Water Agency showed that in 2017 around 38 million people were affected by droughts and dry spells, compared to Brazils other major disaster, flooding and mudslides, where about 3 million were affected. 

How they are dealing with Droughts

Brazil has enforced policies in order to increase the management of water resources. Brazil has tried to address water scarcity in the past during times of shortage and droughts through emergency response and large water infrastructure works projects. However even though new infrastructure and technical fixes to water management have have helped buffer against water shortages, significant impacts from water shortages have continued. In order to combat droughts, monitor, and coordinate actions for drought response, the Ministry of National Integration is leading a work group to discuss and design a National Drought Policy proposal. At the state level, the government Ceará created its own Committee in order to create a number of emergency activities and so that they can respond to the aftermath of droughts with the assistance of local, state, and federal institutions, municipality officials, smallholder farmers, and agriculture companies, among others. Nevertheless, there is still much work to be done in order for Brazil to truly be prepared insure the safety of its people.

Rainfall/Flooding

After Brazil experiences severe droughts it is usually followed by heavy rainfall, which more often than not leads to flooding and mudslides. According to a survey done by ANA, in the year 2017 there were 661 events of flooding in Brazil. In 2016 there were 312 extreme floods, which affected 1.4 million Brazilians, which is less than half compared to 2017. The main damage that is caused by these phases of heavy rainfall are loss of residences. Most areas faced with these floods are in the Northeast, South, and Southeast. 

How they are dealing with Heavy Rainfall/Flooding

Brazil has created The Rio de Janeiro project which is meant to target effort to reduce disaster vulnerability by promoting long-term multi-sectoral development strategies. This project represents a major step towards developing a strategy for long-term prevention and mitigation of natural disasters and environmental degradation in areas of Brazil that are vulnerable to flooding. This is a good example of one of the efforts to develop support for long-term environmental policies by building up indigenous managerial and planning capabilities. 

English Sources 

https://www.climatescorecard.org/2017/04/brazil-extreme-weather-event/

http://basilio.fundaj.gov.br/pesquisaescolar_en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=828%3Adrought-in-northeast-brazil&catid=37%3Aletter-d&Itemid=1

https://www.citylab.com/equity/2013/12/2013s-most-terrifying-weather-disasters/7983/

http://blogs.reuters.com/photographers-blog/2012/06/08/an-extreme-year/

https://vividmaps.com/deforestation-of-amazon-rainforest-and/

http://floodlist.com/america/brazil-floodi-salvador-bahia-november-2019

https://worldenvironmentalconservancy.org/drought-reached-38-million-brazilians-in-2017-and-challenges-municipalities/

https://igarape.org.br/en/venezuelan-refugees-inflame-brazils-already-simmering-migrant-crisis/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212094713000340
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/026483779190018E

Sites em Português

http://monitordesecas.ana.gov.br/
http://g1.globo.com/bahia/noticia/2017/03/ministerio-reconhece-situacao-de-emergencia-em-17-cidades-na-bahia.html

http://g1.globo.com/bahia/noticia/2017/02/estiagem-atinge-15-mil-produtores-em-cidade-no-sudoeste-baiano.html