Brazil registers 1,500 municipalities in emergency situation

Out of the total of 5,568 municipalities in Brazil, 1,532 are in a state of emergency, due to disasters caused by rain and drought. The number was registered on Monday (Mar. 27).

In such situations of emergency or public calamity, which is a more serious case, the affected municipalities can receive federal funds through the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development.

The drought is affecting municipalities in the states of Bahia, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, and Rio Grande do Sul, as well as Quixeramobim, in the state of Ceará. Heavy rains recently hit eight cities in different states.

Acre

Ministers of Environment and Climate Change Marina Silva, and Integration and Regional Development Waldez Góes, visited the capital of Acre state, Rio Branco, and assured that the federal government will allocate resources to the region after the damage caused by the rain that led to an overflow of the Acre River.

Over 32,000 people have been affected so far by the flooding of the river, of which 2,500 are homeless or displaced. Its level reached 16.37 meters above the overflow threshold, which is 14 meters, according to information released by the municipal Civil Defense.