Alerts for risk of landslides on the coast of SP were not effective

The more than 30,000 messages sent by SMS to residents of cities on the north coast of São Paulo, informing about the risks of landslides over the weekend, were not effective according to the state governor, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) , and with the Minister of Integration and Regional Development, Waldez Góes.

The statements were given earlier this Thursday afternoon (23) in São Sebastião, where the search for survivors entered the fifth day and already total 49 dead, 40 missing and more than 3,500 homeless or displaced.

Last weekend’s rains have already led to the declaration of a state of calamity in six cities in the region: Guarujá, Bertioga, São Sebastião, Caraguatatuba, Ilhabela and Ubatuba. So far, the federal and state governments have already disbursed BRL 60 million in expenses for search and stabilization work in the region, and they project another BRL 50 to 60 million in new disbursements for the Civil Defense.

The difficulty in being able to alert residents and visitors who were in this region of Baixada Santista had been one of the points of greatest discussion in recent days among the causes of the tragedy, which Tarcísio de Freitas says that it is no longer possible to be effective just by sending of SMS messages.

“2.6 million alerts were sent out before the rain we had now, via SMS, and we saw that this eventually does not have the greatest effectiveness. Here on the coast, more than 30,000 people received the alert SMS,” she said.

A finding similar to that of Waldez Góes, who says that storm warnings were issued for the entire state, but that there was no specific warning for the region.

“People are at a pace in life that if there is no local system of sirens, education, the community, they are aware that when the siren sounds they have to leave, and no one can resist. Just the effort of the Civil Defense and the media, we realize that it doesn’t solve it, “he said.

Governments study solutions to alert residents

Among the solutions under discussion is the possibility of partnering with telephone companies to seek an alternative that makes the alert system more effective than just a mass shooting of SMS messages. According to Tarcísio de Freitas, this is a job that will depend on conversations with the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) and, probably, the enactment of a bill.

“Everyone has a cell phone today, it is highly democratized. But, the alarm system via cell phone is not working. By federal law, telephone companies are required to provide the alert. But the law does not state how. The idea is that we use a broadcasting system, let’s see how this can be operationalized, “she said without giving further details.

Immediately, according to the governor, sirens will be installed in risk areas and residents will be properly trained to know where to go in the event of a warning. “And having confidence that the supply will reach that support point, that his assets will be protected,” he said.

The governor of São Paulo also said that the meteorological radars that operate in the country “are old”, in general, and those that are installed in the state will be updated, with the replacement by more modern equipment that detect the phenomena more quickly. Tarcísio also stated that more devices will be installed in the coastal region.

Minister Waldez Góes also stated that this work of improving alerts should be extended to all regions of the country that have areas at risk of landslides. According to him, there are more than 14 thousand points where four million people live.

“We have to prioritize these areas and start together with the municipalities to structure these local alert systems. Now, just the system is not enough, there has to be a whole community preparation process”, he said.

House reconstruction should start soon

The first projects for recovering the damage caused by the weekend’s rains have already begun to be sent to the ministry, the first being the reconstruction of homes in São Sebastião. There is also an ongoing project for the construction of 580 affordable housing in three neighborhoods in the region that should be made available by the Minha Casa Minha Vida program.

“We already have a reserved area in Vila Sahy, a flat area that is now entering the final stage of studies, which was already documented to receive 180 units. We have another area to receive 220 units in the neighborhood of Maresias, and a third area in the neighborhood of Topolândia, which was the victim of these landslides, for about 180 more units”, detailed Felipe Augusto, mayor of the city.

Governor Tarcísio de Freitas said that the reconstruction of housing must take place in order to remove people from risk areas. “It will be a social experience that, if we are successful, we can replicate it in other places”, he said, recalling that he has been asked by residents who lost their homes about what will be done from now on.