Amazonas recorded the highest number of homeless people due to natural disasters

Amazonas was the state that recorded the highest number of people left homeless by natural disasters from 2013 to May 2023. There were 222,992 people who lost their homes.

The number is from research by the CNM (National Confederation of Municipalities) and does not include the effects of last year’s record drought in the state.

A homeless person, according to the CNM study, is someone who has had their home damaged and/or destroyed by a disaster, who has nowhere to go, and will necessarily need shelter provided by the local, state or federal public administration.

The state was also the one that recorded the highest number of homeless people, accounting for 502.6 in the same period.

The homeless person, in this case, is one who was forced to temporarily or permanently abandon their home due to preventive evacuations, destruction or serious damage resulting from the disaster, and who, not necessarily, lacks shelter provided by the public system.

The CNM survey considered the period from January 1, 2013 to May 24, 2023. Across the country, natural disasters caused R$401.3 billion in losses, considering losses to individuals, companies and public damage.

Without data from 2023, losses in Amazonas, according to the CNM, were R$1.6 billion in ten years. In the state, floods and floods were the natural events that most affected the inhabitants. There were also people evacuated from their homes due to forest fires and the fallen lands phenomenon – falling slopes along river banks.

Deaths

Across the country, in 2022 alone, deaths resulting from rain totaled 532 people, which represents 26.6% of the total deaths in ten years. Before 2022, the deadliest year due to rain in the country was 2019, with 356 deaths recorded, followed by 2021, when 277 deaths were reported, and 2020, with 277.

The CNM reports that by February 24, 2023, the rains had already caused 98 deaths across Brazil.

In the last ten years, other types of disasters have also caused a lot of damage and losses to the affected Municipalities, such as forest fires, release of chemical and toxic products, frosts, heat waves, intense cold waves and pest infestations that caused R$ 14, 6 billion in losses, corresponding to 3.6% of the total of R$401.3 billion accounted for by all disasters that occurred in Brazil.

The CNM draws attention to the lack of resources for prevention in the country’s disaster budget, one of the main reasons for the recurrence of problems. The Civil Defense budget during this period was just R$175.7 million.

According to the CNM, the reduction in funding for prevention demonstrates that, in practice, response is only carried out with great weight on city halls. To minimize damage, prevention and risk management actions must be incorporated into the coordinated and articulated action of federated entities.

Depending on the structural, socioeconomic and environmental scenario and the degree of vulnerability of the affected population, the occurrence of a disaster can cause, for example, the interruption of essential services such as water and energy supply, economic and financial losses to public and private properties , agriculture, industry and commerce, in addition to causing deaths, injuries, illnesses and other various negative effects on the well-being of the population.

According to Sinpdec (National Civil Protection and Defense System), disasters specifically have two characteristics: 1) sudden, triggered by adverse events with an abrupt onset, resulting in immediate or rapidly evolving damage, such as a storm; 2) gradual, triggered by adverse events that worsen slowly and progressively, resulting in increasing damage over time, such as drought.

No ability to cope

The CNM also identified that most city halls are not prepared to face natural disasters. Of the 5,570 Brazilian municipalities that responded to the survey, 3,590 city halls reported that they did not have a climate emergency system. This consultation was carried out between December 1, 2023 and January 24, 2024.

Of the total municipalities consulted, 68% responded that they are not prepared to face disasters. Only 22.6% said yes.

The research considered actions such as preparing mitigation and adaptation plans, structural measures to face climate emergencies and fundraising as “preparation against extreme climate events”.