Brazil: Floods in Rio Grande do Sul - United Nations Situation Report, as of 20 September 2024

This report has been produced with the support of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), covering the period from 13 July to 18 September. This report is the last report produced in relation to the emergency, unless the situation warrants additional reporting based on a deterioration of the humanitarian conditions in the country.

KEY MESSAGES

• In cooperation with state authorities, IOM has been responsible for managing the three Humanitarian Reception Centers (CHA), which housed 803 people as of September 13. The CHAs are in the city of Porto Alegre (1) and in the city of Canoas (2). UNHCR continues to provide counselling, material and cash assistance for families affected by the floods in Vale do Taquari targeting so far over 1,066 families including 2,440 individuals. The IOM, UNHCR and UNFPA teams engaged in Shelter Management (CCCM) and Non-Food items areas of work and have been collaborating on cross-cutting actions.

• UNHCR, IOM, UNFPA, UNICEF and OHCHR have launched the local task force on Protection Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) to boost efforts on prevention and response against sexual misconduct in the emergency response. This initiative was reinforced by the official visit of the Special Coordinator on Improving the UN Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Mr. Christian Saunders, to Porto Alegre in late August.

• The Protection Working Group has been established with the support of UN Agencies under the leadership of the State Social Development (SEDES) and co-leadership of Ministry of Social Development (MDS) aiming to better coordinate operational response and advocacy in the areas of access to justice and information, child protection, protection against gender-based violence, protection of minority groups, refugee protection, housing, land and property matters (HLP) as well as protection mainstreaming.

• Although water access has resumed to normality, concerns remain in the population in relation to the potability of the water supply. UNICEF has coordinated with Vigiagua (Water Quality Department) and DMAE (Water and Sanitation Municipal Department) to disseminate the results of water analysis to the population.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Five months after the historic floods that impacted the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul on 29 April 2024, the UN, led by the Resident Coordinator, continues to support national and local government recovery efforts. According to the latest official report issued on 20 August, the floods affected nearly 2.4 million people, resulting in 183 deaths, 27 missing persons, and widespread damage across 478 municipalities in the state. The recovery and restoration efforts have enabled the resumption of basic services, such as health, education, and transportation, in various municipalities, although there has been a noticeable decline in capacity in some areas.

UN agencies have contributed to several sectors, including health and social protection. Despite an overall return to normalcy, humanitarian interventions continue to focus on the most vulnerable and affected populations. At the peak of the emergency, nearly 600,000 people were displaced, with over 80,000 sheltering in official facilities across the state, increasing the protection needs of vulnerable groups, including women, girls, young children, and the elderly. Although water levels have receded and access to basic services such as health, water, sanitation, and education has been restored, concerns remain about the quality of these services. Significant challenges persist in bringing them back to pre-flood standards. At the same time, state authorities have been expressing concerns over the weather forecast expected in the coming weeks. Between 1 and 17 September, seven alerts were issued by the civil defense regarding heavy rains, localized flooding risks, electrical discharges, and the potential for hail in various regions of the state.