Brazil is a vast and heterogeneous nation that regularly encounters diverse weather disasters. These disasters are compounded by social vulnerability, leading to an even more precarious situation. Floods occur frequently in both rural and urban areas, and they have caused significant harm to the country. In recent times, there have been noteworthy instances of flooding that serve as evidence of the impact of climate change on extreme weather events in Brazil.

Specialists point out, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, that the total amount of rainfall in Brazil is decreasing; however, the distribution behavior of the events has changed, and more extreme events have been witnessed, with an entire month or year amount of rainfall falling in one day. In the past February, on the coast of São Paulo, 682 mm of rain fell in just fifteen hours, resulting in 40 deaths. Similarly, last year in Recife city, 700 mm of rain fell in May, resulting in over 100 deaths.

Another significant issue is the lack of sanitation systems, which puts people at risk of contamination by floodwaters. In the last disaster at the São Paulo state coast, for example, residents reported water contamination after the flood, likely due to using rudimentary sewer tanks and living without access to treated water. Groundwater was also contaminated by sewage, leading to a 30% increase in demand for hospital care for gastroenteritis, leptospirosis, and skin diseases.

In light of these challenges, it is clear that Brazil needs an action plan and effective measures to prevent natural disasters and address the underlying issues that contribute to them. The eleventh ICFM webinar will discuss disaster mitigation and warning actions, the challenges for disaster risk reduction, and the impact of this type of disaster on public health in Brazil. This 90-minute event will include three presentations of Brazil experts and provide the opportunity for discussion among ICFM participants from different parts of the world.

Webinar Programme

Introduction

• Zhang Cheng
  Professor, Director of the Permanent ICFM Secretariat, IWHR

• Maria Clara Fava
  PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Vicosa

Presentations

• Leandro Galvanese Kuhlmann
  

  Msc, Researcher, Department of Territorial Management, Geological Survey of Brazil, Sao Paulo, Brazil
  Topic: Disaster Management in Brazil: contributions from the Geological Survey of Brazil

• Denise Piccirillo B. da Veiga
  

  Specialist in Field Epidemiology from Fiocruz – Brasília, researcher at the Center for Research in Environmental Risk Assessment at the Department of Environmental Health at School of Public Health (Nara/FSP/USP)
  Topic: Health Response and Health Impacts of Flood Disasters

• Mario Mendiondo
  

  Prof. Dr at Univ of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Coordinator of the Center of Education & Research on Disasters (CEPED/USP), the UNESCO Chair on Urban Waters at EESC/USP
  Topic: How Do We Learn from Flood-Human Feedbacks Under Change?

 

Presentations can be accessed here:

• Leandro Galvanese Kuhlmann
• Denise Piccirillo B. da Veiga
• Mario Mendiondo

 

Host
International Conference on Flood Management (ICFM)
China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR)

Organizer
Permanent Secretariat of ICFM

Technical support
Medcon Conference Service Platform (MEDCON)