In Brazil “rebuilding lives” and a city, a titanic challenge for the mayor of Porto Alegre

Under the effect of the torrential rains which have fallen on the State of Rio Grande do Sul (south) for three weeks, the flooding of the Guaiba River, which crosses this metropolis of 1,4 million inhabitants, has flooded neighborhoods whole, poor or well-off. Water invaded no less than 1.000 km of public roads in the city.

Wearing the fluorescent blue and orange jacket of Civil Defense, the organization responsible for relief, Mr. Melo, 65, receives the AFP at the Environment Secretariat of the town hall.

As a symbol, it is in this place preserved from the waters that his crisis cabinet was installed, while scientists assure that this type of disaster has become more frequent and more intense due to climate change.

More than 90% of the cities of Rio Grande do Sul were affected by the floods which left more than 150 dead and around a hundred missing.

“It happened here, but with such a quantity of rain, it could have happened anywhere else,” assures the councilor.

QUESTION: Around 30.000 residents of Porto Alegre have had to leave their homes and almost half are in accommodation centers. How do you deal with this situation?

ANSWER: "At first, we had to rescue the residents, house them, give them food. For this, the volunteers helped us a lot.

During this second phase, it is about rebuilding lives. We have several instruments, such as +solidarity stay+: you are housed with a neighbor and the public authorities provide aid. There is also assistance for purchasing or paying rent.

There will also be 'solidarity cities', that is to say we will create cities within the city, with tents, tarpaulins, containers.

Today we have 153 accommodation centers and it is unmanageable. Some are in schools, which must receive their students again.”

Q: Will all neighborhoods be habitable again?

A: "We are cleaning as the water goes down. How many of these residences will be able to welcome their residents back? We don't know yet. There are places where we won't be able to return , others that we can rebuild.

In all these areas, the rainwater drainage network was blocked by mud. Everything must be cleaned quickly, otherwise the slightest rain could flood the city again."

Q: Do you have any idea of ​​the time and money needed for the reconstruction?

A: "We will only know the extent of the damage to infrastructure when the water goes down. On the question of drainage, for example, the flood protection system dates from the 1970s. We are in 2024. It must be recreated in its entirety.

These are colossal investments, to build dikes, to install pumping stations. And not just in Porto Alegre. The Guaiba is fed by the four main rivers of Rio Grande do Sul. As it rained a lot upstream, all the water reached Porto Alegre.”

Q: What can we do to avoid another disaster?

A: "We need a new plan, the whole world is watching us. I just recorded a video for international institutions, asking for help. We need money, but also expertise technical, new technologies. To have a resilient city, it must be different. We cannot rebuild it according to existing standards. This costs a lot of money, which the municipality does not have today.

Q: Can we say that Porto Alegre is in a race against time in the face of climate change?

A: "Yes, no city in the world meets all the parameters of sustainable development. (...) In Porto Alegre, we have more than 1,3 million trees in public spaces (...), this are things that have been worked on for some time (...Now, we will have to accelerate even more."