Floods in the state of Acre in the brazilian Amazon: 2015 events, impacts and challenges
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5902/2179460X91545Keywords:
Risk perception, Resilience, GovernanceAbstract
Floods are stressful processes that disrupt the environment in which they occur. The aim of this article is to analyze, from an impact perspective, the largest flood on record in the city of Rio Branco, capital of the state of Acre, in the south-western Brazilian Amazon. It also aims to propose measures to reduce risks and minimize impacts. In 2015, the level of the River Acre reached a historic high of 18.40m (4.40m above its overflow level). As a result, 32 days were spent submerging more than 4,500 hectares of the municipality's urban area, with more than 100,000 people affected and more than 10,000 left homeless. The damage (human and material) and losses (economic and social) exceeded five hundred million reais. For the proposed analysis, the research focused on a literature review of works on risk perception, resilience and governance, in order to take in theoretical contributions and case studies focused on these themes, analysis of reports, plans and official documents, as well as research into official databases. The results showed severe negative social and economic impacts on the affected population and require, in the subjective (individual and community), institutional and governance context, tools and mechanisms to reduce the risks of their occurrence and minimize their impacts. Prevention and preparation for coping with them involve aspects of adaptive capacity, social participation, strengthening institutions and risk governance.
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