Responding to Floods in Brazil
Posted by Paul Taylor 30th June 2024 News
Estimated Reading Time: 1 min
Heavy rains and flooding have displaced nearly 700,000 people in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. With more than 80,000 seeking refuge in shelters, the International NGO All Hands and Hearts reached out to REACT, requesting assistance. In response, within a matter of hours, we deployed two International Responders, Jan Campbell-Wood and Megan Stacey-Edwards to Porto Alegre.
Jan and Megan spent six days on the ground supporting the All Hands and Heart’s programme to prepare and distribute more than 4,000 meals for flood-affected communities, as well as supporting several building clearance and clean-up tasks.
The power of data informed local collaboration
The collaborative efforts in Brazil, exemplify the profound impact achieved when organisations unite. Our friends at NASA’s Earth Applied Sciences Disasters program activated for the Brazil floods in May and produced several products that have helped to inform the response on the ground. Below is one such example. The darkest shades of blue on the map indicate the greatest flood water depth estimates, while lighter shades indicate shallower flooding.
Flood depth estimates for areas west of Porto Alegre, Brazil on May 6, 2024 (NASA JPL ARIA/OPERA)
The collaboration between All Hands and Hearts, World Central Kitchen, and various local and international entities underscores the importance of combining resources, expertise, and efforts for effective disaster response. Such partnerships highlight the critical importance of locally-led response and recovery efforts. Integration ensures that responses are not only effective but also culturally and contextually appropriate.