Catastrophic floods, mega fires, landslides, earthquakes and other climate phenomena with serious consequences are realities that we have become accustomed to and are part of our daily lives.
The consequences resulting from these increasingly frequent and destructive climate phenomena are largely the result of errors in planning and land management, which were and are committed practically throughout the country.
Urban planner
The risks are multiple and often even overlapping. There are no easements in areas influenced by earthquake faults, for example. Naturally, it would not be easy to implement such easements. We agree.
Catastrophes now happen more frequently and have greater destructive effects
What we are left with are poorly structured rural spaces, forest areas with risk species, without access and poorly managed, constructions in the coastal area, on unstable slopes, occupation of flood beds and on unstable soils, buildings without safety structures, in addition to the policy of using fossil fuels caused by incoherent urban distribution, which requires millions of daily trips, from residential spaces to workplaces in polluting vehicles, due to poor distribution of residential functions and economic activities in spaces rural and urban areas, producing greenhouse gases.
Deep down, we all fear that the dramatic images that invade our daily lives are not just reflected in the pages of newspapers or on television screens and appear, by surprise, where we are.
We can only trust the entities responsible for safety and relief
Naturally, we have confidence in the responsible authorities, who must have immediate warning systems for the population, in case a catastrophic event is predicted.
We know of some alarm systems in use in vaccination campaigns and in fire situations, for example.
It is simply a matter of adapting the alert system to the population residing in floodable areas, for example.
A glass of water…
Ishiba, no Japan
It is a region that suffers serious and frequent floods. The solution found in order to prevent the population from destructive floods was simple. The State delivered a glass with two brands to each residence. One yellow and one red.
Residents knew that, once the glass was placed in the rain, when the water reached the yellow mark, they would collect the emergency kit. When the water reached the red mark, they moved to a previously prepared location to collect the population at risk…
In a disaster scenario, minutes in advance of issuing alerts could save lives
To achieve this, it is necessary that the complex “machine” of public authorities, respective administrative and operational institutions, have prevention and resolution mechanisms – post-occurrence – that are as perfect as possible.
These civil protection structures must assume a strategic nature – read – adaptable to unpredictable circumstances and, above all, effective in preventing, informing and alerting the population.
There are no human beings, nor perfect organizations. We all know! However, in structured civil protection systems, gear failures can result in irreversible damage. We have already faced frightening megafires, real threats of earthquakes and destructive floods.
Dramas that represent consequences resulting from past errors in the use of territory.
The failures… do not arise from the “lack of legislation”…
For example, Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 63/2024, of April 22, approves the Flood Risk Management Plan, establishing strict deadlines for the implementation of protection standards and adaptation to municipal plans. They were overtaken!
At the moment, there is little point in highlighting errors, flaws or inconsistencies in the planning and management of the territory.
Above all, it is important to create alarm and prevention tools, anticipate and know how to react to episodes that may arise, in order to minimize loss of life and material damage.
Prepare teams with training in disaster medicine…
It is not advisable to occupy flood beds with urban spaces, nor in risk areas or close to cliffs or unstable slopes.
Past mistakes made in planning and managing the territory will result in consequences that are difficult to guard against. Preventing implies, predicting, organizing and acting.
Constructing buildings without complying with anti-seismic safety standards, or not reinforcing the structures of older buildings, puts the resident population at risk.
The territory supports our lives
Solving problems resulting from decades of errors accumulated in the organization of the territory that supports our lives has its costs. But prevention is preferable.
Mônica C. Generini Oliveira/Business Intelligence/Data Analytics
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