Brazil: Rio Grande do Sul Floods

Climate change made historic floods in southern Brazil twice as likely – Study

This article was written and published first by the Climate CentreClimate change made the very extreme rainfall that caused destructive floods in Brazil’s southern state of Rio Grande do Sul in late April and early May twice as likely, according to the latest rapid study from World Weather Attribution group issued yesterday.The heavy rains were also intensified by the now-fading El Niño phenomenon, while the impacts were made worse by some failures of infrastructure, the WWA scientists add.The event was “extremely rare” even with global warming – expected no more than once a century – but would have been more rare still without climate change.By combining observations with climate models, the researchers estimated that climate change made the event more than twice as likely and up to nearly 10 per cent more intense.‘Natural protection’Regina Rodrigues, a researcher at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, who took part in the study, said: “The devastating impact on human systems from such extreme events can only be minimized with sufficient adaptation, including well-maintained flood protection infrastructure and appropriate urban planning.“Changes in land use have contributed directly to the widespread floods by eliminating natural protection and can exacerbate climate change by increasing emissions.”The IFRC launched an emergency appeal for 8 million Swiss francs to scale up humanitarian assistance to communities affected by the floods that affected at least 2 million people and were described as the worst disaster in the recorded history of Rio Grande do Sul state.The IFRC global network and the Brazilian Red Cross “will support … 25,000 people who have lost their homes and are in urgent need of assistance, especially single-parent families with children under five, the elderly, and people with disabilities,” the IFRC said last month.The latest WWA study was conducted by scientists from Brazil, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and the US.

Brazil one month on: Red Cross calls for continued support as flooding continues and conditions deteriorate

Rio Grande do Sul / Panama City / Geneva -One month after flooding in southern Brazil affected over 2.3 million people and displaced more than 620,000, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) calls for continued support. Initial damage and humanitarian needs are exacerbated by ongoing rains, cold temperatures and the appearance of water-borne diseases.“Though in many ways it feels like day one, we are four weeks into this emergency. Floodwaters remain trapped in many of the flooded areas, hampering the distribution of humanitarian aid and preventing the lowering of water levels that would allow people to return to their homes. With more rain and colder weather in the forecast, as well as a rise in water-borne diseases, every effort should be made to support the most vulnerable population, whose humanitarian needs continue to grow exponentially”, said Roger Alonso Morgui, IFRC Head of Operations for the Brazil floods response.Since the onset of the floods, Red Cross teams have distributed 648,000 litres of water, 9,800 food baskets, 10,150 bags of clothes, 3,595 blankets, 7,830 cleaning kits, 6,380 hygiene kits, 2,347 mattresses, 810 pillows, 640 diaper kits, 116 kitchen sets and 142,559 medicines. In total, 1,500 people have received medical support. Volunteers have also distributed mosquito nets and water filters to prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. The Brazilian Red Cross (BRC) has also made inroads into areas that were cut off by the floods to reach affected communities, including ten groups of some of the most vulnerable indigenous people who had been previously unable to access sites where items were being distributed.“In the coming weeks, the most urgent needs for the most vulnerable population - women, children and marginalized groups - include food, personal hygiene items, blankets, cleaning sets, clean water and water filters, both for hydration and to reduce the risk of exposure to water-borne disease and bacteria,” said Alonso.According to the Meteorological Office of Brazil, heavy rains are expected to continue along the coast of Rio Grande do Sul. This could mean further flooding in the already saturated Porto Alegre, while other areas in which the flooding had receded could see a resurgence. Local authorities have advised the population not to return to flooded areas and have recommended that those who live in areas at risk of landslides exercise extreme caution.In response to the flooding, the most devastating disaster in the history of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the IFRC launched an Emergency Appeal for CHF 8,000,000 to support, for the next 12 months, 25,000 people who have lost their homes and are in urgent need of assistance. Two IFRC relief flights have already transported essential supplies to the affected zones. However, despite concerted efforts, there remains a significant funding shortfall for this humanitarian response, with most of the required funds still needed to fully address the crisis. A recent study from World Weather Attribution revealed that climate change made the floods in southern Brazil “twice as likely,” and the damage was only made worse by infrastructure failures. These impacts on more extreme weather events are only expected to continue.For more information or to coordinate an interview: [email protected] In Panama: Susana Arroyo Barrantes +50769993199  In Geneva: Tommaso Della Longa +41 797084367 / Andrew Thomas +41 763676587 

Menstrual Hygiene Day: Menstruation doesn't stop during disasters

When heavy rains led to massive floods in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul in May, normal life for 2.3 million people came to a standstill. Ever since, the rain has not stopped, and the needs have grown exponentially. More than 80,000 people remain in temporary shelters and need help urgently.While all these disruptions may have impeded supply chains or made basic living supplies harder to find, they have not interrupted the natural menstruation cycles of half of the people impacted by these floods."One of the problems we face in dealing with the flood emergency in Brazil is the difficulty in getting access menstrual hygiene and menstrual health products", reported Dr. Julia Klock, a medical volunteer who paused her regular work to volunteer with the Brazilian Red Cross during the floods.While menstruation is as natural as eating, or sleeping, too often, people are reluctant to talk about the lack ofessential menstrual health products because this topic is sometimes seen as embarrassing or awkward — something to be hidden. "In many communities, this topic is still taboo," Dr. Klock notes. This year, World Menstruation Day takes on the theme "Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld" in order to fully normalizie menstruation and to render these taboos to history.In order to help us unpack this issue, we asked Katherine Fuentes, the protection, gender and inclusion coordinator for the IFRC in the Americas, to tell us what top things peopleshould be talking about when it comes tomenstruation and hygiene during and after a major crisis.Access to menstrual hygiene products.“When a disaster occurs, such as the recent floods in Brazil, access to menstrual products becomes more difficult.That is why the emergency items we distribute include menstrual hygiene products, considering how many people of menstruating age have been affected by the disaster.These hygiene products can range from sanitary pads, tampons, and menstrual cups to menstrual panties, cloth pads, hygiene buckets, among others.Clean, safe and private facilitiesWe seek to ensure that menstruating individuals have access to clean drinking water, clean restrooms, and private spaces to change and dispose of waste properly. Education and awareness-raisingWe work to ensure that people are informed about the menstrual cycle, so that they know how to manage their menstrual hygiene in difficult conditions, where to access products and how to dispose of them.To ensure menstrual health, the involvement of the whole community, including boys and men, is key. Knowing about the menstrual cycle helps to reduce stigma, promotes collective accompaniment, and helps to care for health and promote well-being.Some actions in this area are group meetings and consultation processes to learn about the specific needs of menstruating people.Psychosocial supportIt is possible that during emergencies, menstruation is stigmatized. So it is necessary to provide psychosocial support and create an environment where people can talk openly, without taboos, with a focus on Protection, Gender and Inclusion. In this way the individual needs of each person is considered.To provide appropriate care, we must recognize what gender stereotypes and roles are present, what are the ideas and practices in the community about menstrual health, and how our humanitarian assistance programs can address the needs of menstruating people.”For more information, please see the following links toIFRC guidelines and toolkits for managing the menstrual health of people affected by emergencies and disasters. • Minimum Standards for PGI in Emergencies • Guidance for Addressing Menstrual Hygiene Management NeedsFor donations or more information about the floods in Brazil, visit our Emergency Appeal

Brazil: Rio Grande do Sul floods

Since 29 April 2024, the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul has experienced rainfall three times higher than the average for this time of year. More than 440 out of Rio Grande do Sul's 496 municipalities reported flood-related issues, affecting around 1.9 million people. A total of 141 people are reported missing, 756 injured, over 600,000 people displaced, and more than 81.000 living in shelters. As of 10 May, the death toll had reached 126. The IFRC seeks to address the needs of people who have completely lost their homes, with particular attention to those living in temporary shelters. Priority will be given to families that have not received assistance, especially single-parent families with children under five, the elderly, and people with disabilities.Photo credit: GILMAR ALVES / ASI / Agência Estado via AFP

Cut off, holding on, and craving contact

“When you live as an undocumented migrant, one thing that keeps you alive is contact,” says Izzy, a migrant from Sierra Leone whose simple daily encounters with people going through similar struggles have been seriously diminished due to Covid-19. With the pandemic looming over everyone’s daily life,migrants such as Izzy face particular hardships. Cut off even from small jobs and activities,they are not eligible for social benefits that provide the stability needed to cope with a pandemic. “Because these people are considered illegal, they cannot rent a house, they cannot work legally, they don’t have social security, they don’t have bank accounts,” says Joquebede Mesquita of the Company of Friends, which provides practical and legal assistance to undocumented migrants living in Netherlands. Some, she says, end up sleeping in the street, afraid of sharing a room with people who may be infected. “A lot of people want to go home to their parents,” she says. “They say, ‘If we are going to die, we want to die together’.” These stories are a stark reminder: while COVID has been cruel for all of us, it has been catastrophic for migrants.Even in the most developed countries, migrants often don’t have access to critical Covid coping mechanismssuch as mental health care, safe housing(since they often share apartments) or working conditions(with proper hygiene protection measures), according to the IFRC reportLeast protected, most affected: Migrants and refugees facing extraordinary risks during the COVID-19 pandemic.On top of all that, they are even farther from loved ones and moreexposed tomedia disinformation in languages they may not fully master. Still, there are many bright spots amid the challenges. Born in Brazil, Claudia has struggled to find unofficial jobs while taking care of her four-year-old daughter Maria. But she now has a steady job and Maria is enrolled in school, learning Dutch. “She plays with other children and has more contact with kids her own age,” Claudia says. For Izzy, as well, the challenges he and other migrants face have only intensified his desire to something positive for others. “I’ve stayed here a long time and this country has supported me,” says Izzy, who likes to help out at a local shelter and food service for other undocumented migrants in need of a warm meal and a welcoming space. “So, I think I have to give something back.” Claudia, from Minas Gerais, Brazil Originally from the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, Claudia has been working as anundocumented migrant in The Netherlands for a year. “I feel bad because I am considered illegal here,” says Claudia. “But I have been able to find work here and I feel safer here. I can walk on the streets with my daughter. The quality of life I can give my daughter is better than in Brazil. So, I feel more secure than in Brazil, but less secure because I am illegal”. As evening falls, Claudia and her daughter Maria take a break on a bench in Amsterdam. “Corona has made life difficultbecause so many things are closed,” she says. “There is nowhere to go and I have to spend a lot of time with Maria, sitting in the very small room that I rent.” Children in Netherlands begin school soon after their fourth birthday. “I am very happy now that Maria has started school … I want to learn Dutch but Corona has made it more complicated because a lot of the schools are closed. And with Maria it was difficult to find time to study. And now that she is at school maybe I can learn Dutch at a school in the future.” “Maria has a better life now,” says Claudia. “She plays with other children and has more contact with kids her own age. Maria is very happy.She talks about her new school all the time. She is learning Dutch. The school is very good compared to what we had in my neighbourhood in Brazil.” “Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, it has been a terrible time,” says Joquebede Mesquita of the Company of Friends, which provides practical and legal assistance to undocumented migrants in The Netherlands. “The telephone is ringing all the time. They want to go back to Brazil. They want to go back to their family, to their children.We helped more than 200 people go back to Brazil. Their work has stopped and they don’t have money to pay the rent or to pay for food. A lot of people were sleeping on the street and they were very afraid. People get the Corona virus and some of them are living with up to nine people in a small room. How can they survive? And a lot of people want to go home to their parents. They say, ‘If we are going to die, we want to die together’.” An undocumented migrant from Brazil signs up to receive asupermarket food voucherfrom the Company of Friends organisation in Amsterdam.The vouchers are provided by the The Netherlands Red Crossto help migrants who have fallen on hard times since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. “Because these people are considered illegal, they cannot rent a house, they cannot work legally, they don’t have social security, they don’t have bank accounts,” says Mesquita. “The idea is that they come here for a couple of years, get some money and then return to Brazil, buy a house and have a good life. But most of the people end up staying five or ten years, they don’t learn the language because they work and don’t have time to integrate into the community.” In her kitchen at home, Claudia and a friend unpack somefood donated by the Netherlands Red Cross. “The Brazilian community here in Holland help each other a lot. And if you are a Brazilian woman with a child, they help you even more.” Claudia and her daughter Maria look at a Christmas display in a shop window in Amsterdam. “I don’t know how we will celebrate Christmas. It’s a difficult time. I have to find a new place to live.Normally in Brazil we celebrate with family and friends. But here? I just have Maria”, she says. “My dream is to make some money and then return to Brazil and buy a house for my family. But if the chance came to stay here legally, I would consider it. But at the moment, the future is today. I take each day as it comes.” Izzy, from Sierra Leone After a decade-long civil war engulfed west African nation of Sierra Leone during the 1990s,Izzy felt he had no choice but to leave the country. The conflict took a high personal toll. “I lost my father, my brother, my sister and then later my mother disappeared,” he says. “I still have some uncles there but it’s difficult to know exactly where they are. I’ve been away a long time”. Although his application for asylum in the Netherlands has dragged on for over eleven years, he is confident he will be granted residency soonand he now considers Holland his home. “I miss everything about Sierra Leone,” says Izzy. “The food. The weather. The people. Absolutely everything. But it would be very difficult for me to go back becausethe scars of the war are still there. I was born there. I grew up there and from time to time, you feel this nostalgic. You have to look at your health situation as well and if I went back I would feel overwhelmed to be in my country again. But at the same time, you have this fear of going back and bringing up all the memories again. It’s a difficult thing.” “When you live here as an undocumented migrant,one thing that keeps you alive is contact. When you meet friends, that gives you the energy to do things every day when you wake up. But because of Covid, that has stopped.” “Covid has affected me a lot. First, because I lost a few friends, people that I knew— both Dutch and foreigners – to the disease. But also, and I think more importantly, because of the situation where you have no contact with friends. Things are no longer the way they used to be. You don’t allow people to come and visit you any more. That’s one thing we lost.” Izzy and his friend Kieta from Guinea buy some ingredients for the meal he will prepare for at theWorld House, a place where undocumented migrants can get a warm meal. “There are a lot of Africans in Amsterdam and many of them come to the World House,” says Izzy. “It is a place for refugees and, for most of them, it is their last hope when they have to leave the asylum camps. They have to go somewhere and usually the only place they can go is the World House. We feed them. We help them to find shelter and get back into the asylum application procedures.” “By law I’m not allowed to work or go to university in Netherlands because I still don’t have a residency permit. But I do like to help out becauseI think I have to contribute to society as well. I sometimes cook food for people in the World House, a place where undocumented people can receive help, spend the night and get a plate of warm food.I also help out at the Red Cross sometimes, preparing food packages for undocumented people and people without income. I help at some churches as well, cooking and storytelling, teaching kickboxing, but because of Corona, most of the church activities have been suspended.” “I am doing a course in website design. It is funded by an organisation that helps refugees. I have always had the idea of creating my own website, and maybe doing it for other people as well. So when this opportunity came, I decided to grab it and try to make something of it.I really would like to do something that will contribute to society herebecause I’ve stayed here a long time and this country has supported me, so I think I have to give something back.” -- This story was produced and originally published by the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine. To learn about the Magazine, and to read more stories like this,click here.

Brazilian Red Cross

Response to COVID-19 in a country of continental dimensions

"During this period of fear and anguish around the world, when most of the population is at home, we choose to take care of others, out of love," said Joice Batista, a Brazilian Red Cross nurse who, together with more than 2,800 volunteers and technicians from this National Society, is fully dedicated to the noble work of saving lives in the time of COVID-19. Brazil is one of the countries in the Americas most affected by the virus outbreak. This situation demands great efforts to support the national health system and the most vulnerable populations. The Brazilian Red Cross, through its 21 branches, is providing assistance especially in the delivery of hygiene and sanitation kits, as well as psychosocial support. These actions have reached more than 133,000 people in the country, mainly in 11 states, including São Paulo, Ceará, Rio de Janeiro, Amazonas, and others strongly affected by the outbreak. The work has been carried out by visiting affected areas and assisting health personnel. Food and nutrition kits have been delivered to vulnerable people in 15 cities, and hygiene items have been donated to professionals in public clinics and hospitals. "This is an important contribution. This is what we need, protection for health professionals so that we in turn can care for the sick population," said Maria Liduína Jales, a health worker at one of the hospitals to which the Red Cross has delivered materials. The National Society has put a lot of effort into managing the distribution of these kinds of supplies. At the moment, hundreds of volunteers are helping with the production of an additional 35,000 hygiene kits that will be distributed in the next few days. In addition, the Red Cross is running four hospitals and two clinics in Brazil. This work has required significant management, especially for resource mobilization. "This is a country of continental dimensions, and as an auxiliary entity of the government we have moved with everything to be able to efficiently reach the populations in greater condition of vulnerability" said Julio Cals, President of the National Society. "We have made alliances with several companies and organizations, and we have strengthened our communication with communities, volunteers and collaborators." The COVID-19 Pandemic has generated high levels of stress and emotional impact on people. For this reason, the Brazilian Red Cross is undertaking important work in psychosocial support, especially in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Amazonas, Distrito Federal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul. Volunteers from the National Society make home visits to provide care in the localities, and a tele-assistance service has also been set up. In the same way, there is an important effort to protect the mental health of National Society volunteers. Emotional support spaces have been created for Red Cross staff, and the telecare service is also open. The activation of the National Society, and the work being done on the ground, is made possible by the unconditional support of thousands of volunteers who have decided to give their best to help others. "I am grateful to do good for others and for the community," said Joice. "This work gives me a natural sense of personal satisfaction and gratification, even in fear”.