Minister discusses aid for storm-stricken Petrópolis city

Nearly BRL 3 million has been earmarked by the Brazilian government to help Petrópolis, a city in the highland region north of Rio de Janeiro. The city has been assailed by downpours that knocked over houses and claimed the lives of at least 180 people.

According to the country’s Regional Development Minister Rogério Marinho, interviewed Monday (Feb. 21) on radio broadcast A Voz do Brasil, the funds are being used to clean up streets; purchase food, blankets, and medications; make shelters available; restore energy; and speed up urban mobility works. The National Civil Defense has placed special facilities in the city in a bid to help local agents with body rescue.

Petrópolis’s Mountain Battalion, Marinho went on, is serving as a center of operations for representatives from the ministries of Health, Infrastructure, and Citizenship; the Armed forces; and state-run bank Caixa Econômica.

In all, the government has dedicated over BRL 2 billion to the more than 500 Brazilian municipalities affected by the heavy rains since the year started. Approximately BRL 700 million have been sent to the Ministry of Citizenship for sheltering efforts, BRL 500 million to the Ministry of Infrastructure for clearing road blockages, and another BRL 1 million for action by the Ministry of Regional Development. “The amounts are released as each plan is presented,” he declared.

We are facing a rather atypical moment, as rainfall in a number of Brazilian states was considerably above average, the minister pointed out. “It’s the highest level of precipitation reported in Petrópolis in the last 90 years,” he noted.

Civil defense authorities are trying to anticipate risk warnings, the minister added. The government has encouraged municipalities to seek funding for projects to mitigate such disturbances, and started stream diversion, sanitation, and draining works. Also to be launched is a countrywide land regulation program, aimed at reorganizing urban spaces and ending irregular housing, especially in hazardous areas.

Drought

Minister Rogério Marinho talked about the work being done on another front—the drought, which historically assails the Brazilian Northeast. In this connection, the minister mentioned the conclusion of important sections of the São Francisco river diversion project, which encompasses over 3 thousand km of canals and water mains. Investment adds up to BRL 3.5 billion—or BRL 5 million if access systems are included.