The Blog and History: when the rains punished and killed in Pernambuco: Nill Junior

On June 2, 2022: Between the mud and hopelessness, more than a hundred lives have been lost in Pernambuco since last Wednesday (25). Victims of landslides and floods caused by torrential rain, 126 people died, according to the latest official information. This is already the biggest natural catastrophe of the 21st century in the State and the biggest in an entire generation.

In 1966, a huge flood took over Recife. It was May 30th of that year when several parts of the city were submerged due to the overflow of the Capibaribe River. Images from historical collections even show Caxangá Avenue taken by water.

The chaos in Recife gained national repercussions. At the time, Folha de S.Paulo announced: “Public calamity in Recife flooded by rain”. The water reached more than two meters high in several neighborhoods in the city. Records indicate 175 deaths, in what is the largest natural catastrophe in the State in terms of numbers.

In 1975, the flood was marked by the rumor of the collapse of the Tapacurá dam and there were even records of deaths from heart attacks due to the scare caused by the fake news.

Around 80% of Recife’s inhabited territory was underwater. The overflow of the Capibaribe, on July 17, paralyzed the capital of Pernambuco and several municipalities bordering it. In total, 107 people died that year.

Historian Gizelly Medeiros recalls that the two major floods in the capital of Pernambuco occurred during the period of the military dictatorship (1964-1985).

“The 1966 flood had more deaths, more people were affected. However, the one in 1975 was more chaotic, caused more damage, leaving Recife completely flooded,” he says. The two military presidents who were holding office at the time – Castelo Branco and Ernesto Geisel, respectively – came to Recife. “They tried to do something, but nothing was done during that period”, adds Gizelly.

The flooding problem in Recife is historical and dates back to the colonial and Dutch invasion periods. “The first known flood in Recife was in the 17th century, around the 1600s. Maurício de Nassau governed Recife when the second great flood occurred and he was one of the first people who ordered construction on the banks of the Capibaribe, in the region that would be more or less drowned [bairro da Zona Oeste do Recife]”, adds the historian.

Crossed by dozens of rivers, the city is not known as “Brazilian Venice” for nothing. And the intense rains, which, from time to time, come “larger than expected”, intensify the drama, especially for those who live on the hills and barriers, given the lack of infrastructure and decent housing.

Professor and researcher of the postgraduate program in Geography at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) Osvaldo Girão remembers that the deaths from the floods of the last century and this year’s rains have different characteristics.

“The floods of 66 and 75 were at a time when the Recife population was smaller. Today we have 1.6 million inhabitants, but in those years we had a population certainly smaller than 1 million, but they lived in the plain area. Because of this, the majority of deaths were linked to drowning. Compared to the current moment, we have had many deaths due to mass movements, which are these landslides”, explains Girão.

The greater population density towards the city’s hills and slopes contributed to this problem. Solutions involve medium and long-term planning, argues the professor. “Perhaps, we will immediately resolve drainage problems in this hillside area. The water falls and often there is no direction for this water. It is necessary to ensure that this water reaches the foot of the slope quickly”, adds Osvaldo Girão.

The public authorities, adds the professor, have the responsibility to ensure that these areas are not occupied, but that the population is relocated. This, in fact, is not a demand from just one administration, but from two or three, according to the professor.

“The trend from what we see due to global warming is for these events to become more frequent. These east waves [fenômeno que causou as chuvas torrenciais deste ano] have greater intensity since the last decade”, he emphasizes.

Also called Eastern Wave Disturbance, the phenomenon is a configuration of winds that favors the elevation of humidity from low levels to high levels. When moisture reaches a certain height, it turns into clouds and, depending on the amount of moisture, storm clouds. Combined with the system, the ocean temperature up to three degrees warmer than normal for this time of year intensified the rains.

It is also necessary to invest in prevention, adds the professor. He defends, for example, more investment in prevention by Civil Defense: “Civil Defense in Brazil is very active in the post-event. What happens before the event? Populations must interact and recognize the risks, they must know their environment, the warning devices, the possibility of evacuation”, concludes Girão.