Pará acknowledges state of emergency in three cities after heavy rains

By Fabyo Cruz – From Cenarium

BELÉM (PA) – The government of the State of Pará has recognized a state of emergency in three municipalities due to heavy rains that caused flooding, structural damage, and socioeconomic impacts across several communities. The decrees validating the situation in the municipalities of Altamira, Mojuí dos Campos, and Vitória do Xingu were published in this Wednesday’s, the 25th, edition of the State Official Gazette (DOE).

With the ratification, the state government formalizes the situation reported by the municipalities themselves and authorizes the adoption of emergency measures to address the crisis. The recognition also enables the municipal governments to request financial and technical support from the State and the Union to assist the affected population, restore damaged areas, and reestablish essential services.

The weather events were classified by the Brazilian Disaster Code (Cobrade) as local/convective storms — heavy rains (1.3.2.1.4). This type of event often causes flash floods, landslides, and collapses of urban and rural infrastructure, especially in vulnerable and precariously occupied areas.

In the case of Vitória do Xingu, the municipal government estimated that more than 7,400 people were directly or indirectly affected by the flooding. The most impacted areas include neighborhoods such as Centro, Bela Vista, Jardim Dall’Acqua, Nova Conquista, and Nova Vitória I and II.

The rural zone, home to small producers and families dependent on subsistence agriculture, also suffered significant losses. The rains disrupted the flow of production, compromised road traffic on rural roads, and further worsened the already difficult socioeconomic conditions of the local population.

In Altamira, the situation was no different. The municipal decree, now ratified by the State, reports severe impacts in both urban and rural areas, including mobility issues, displaced persons, and material losses. In Mojuí dos Campos, the rains mainly affected communities in the rural zone, requiring the mobilization of Social Assistance and Civil Defense teams to mitigate the damage.

With the publication of the state decrees, the municipalities are now legally backed to carry out emergency actions such as direct hiring of services, procurement of materials, and recovery works — all without the need for public bidding, as provided for in federal and state legislation in cases of public calamity. The state of emergency is valid for 180 days.

The Municipal Civil Protection and Defense Coordination (Compdec) of Vitória do Xingu justified the declaration of emergency based on a technical report that confirms the severity of the situation and the need for urgent measures to protect the population and restore normalcy. Among the authorized actions are the use of private properties in cases of imminent danger and forced entry into homes for rescue and evacuation, with guaranteed compensation afterward if necessary.

The state decrees take into account, in addition to the municipal decrees (issued in March and May of this year), federal ordinances 260/2022 and 3,646/2022 from the Ministry of Regional Development, which regulate the criteria for recognizing natural disasters and accessing resources from the National Civil Defense.

Edited by Marcela Leiros
Reviewed by Gustavo Gilona
Translated from Portuguese by Gustô Alves