The intense rains over the state of Santa Catarina, located in Brazil’s South Region, caused, once again, floods in several cities. Since September 08, floods, flash floods and landslides have hit 96 cities in the region and, according to mainstream news, nearly 1 million people have been affected.

In 2008, the State of Santa Catarina went through a similar tragedy, as reported by Global Voices. From then on, it was expected certain preventive measures to be taken by the responsible authorities, but after three deaths and more than 15 thousand reallocated to provisional shelters, it becomes clear that little was accomplished. The city of Itajai, one of the most affected, had 80% of its urban area occupied by water from the rivers Itajaí-Mirim and Itajaí-Açu – similarly to 2008.

Internet users utilized online tools to expose the tragedy’s dimension. In one video posted on Youtube on September 08, damages in the city of Brusque are shown:

Another internet user registered the catastrophe’s dimension in the city of Rio do Sul, one of the most severely hit by rains, and which still remains completely isolated from other areas:

Blumenau, the third biggest city in Santa Catarina, also suffered with the rains, and this Internet user recorded the moment in which a truck driver decides to confront the river Itajai-Acu’s high water levels, causing even more damages:

City councils in the affected regions have also begun to utilize online tools to help the local population. In Itajai, the blog Desabrigados (Homeless) [pt] was created so that residents could list the name of missing people and the place where they were being sheltered. After a rainfall decline, further allowing the start of recovery, several Internet users began to mobilize through the social network Twitter, via the hashtag #chuvaemSC (#raininSC).

Despite the widespread solidarity among residents, a certain level of indignation remains among some. These phenomena are no novelty to Brazilians. In the beginning of 2011, a similar catastrophe hit the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro, totaling over 500 fatal victims. In an account published [pt] at Luis Nassif’s blog, Sergio Lamarca points to the development of residential and commercial areas in regions where the balance between nature and economical activities are fragile. He further complements:

(…) o desafio de daqui para frente em caso de que a cada ano ou dois anos termos uma enchente e ficarmos 15 a 20 dias com a economia da região paralisada, considero que medidas proativas devem ser tomadas. Para isso a sociedade organizada, as universidades e o poder público devem juntar os esforços para dar uma solução para quem vai viver nesta região nos próximos 30 anos.

Written by Fernando Sapelli · Translated by Fernando Sapelli