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1979 Brazil floods

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1979 Brazil floods
DateJanuary 1979 (1979-01)–February 1979 (1979-02)
Location Bahia,  Espírito Santo,  Minas Gerais in  Brazil
CauseLarge accumulation of rain between January and February
Deaths74 (Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo)
Property damage
  • Roads, bridges and walls destroyed;
  • Paralysis of the EFVM and consequent blockage of the flow of iron ore production;
  • River floods, floods, collapsed barriers

The 1979 Brazil floods were a series of events that primarily affected the states of Minas Gerais, Bahia, and Espírito Santo.

In Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, the floods occurred after heavy rains hit the states between January and February of that year. It was the largest natural disaster ever recorded in the region, resulting in 47,776 people left homeless, 74 fatalities, and 4,424 homes affected.[1] A 36-kilometer section of the Vitória-Minas Railway (EFVM) was flooded, causing train traffic to be halted for two weeks and leading to the disruption of iron ore extraction. Highways such as BR-101 were also closed. The event had major global repercussions.[1]

The overflow of the São Francisco River that year also caused flooding in Minas Gerais and Bahia. In Bahia, the primary cause of flooding was the overloading of the Sobradinho Dam. As a result, several municipalities along the São Francisco River were inundated.

Rains

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The floods were caused by a significant accumulation of rainfall between January and February 1979 in Espírito Santo and throughout the eastern part of the state of Minas Gerais, resulting from 35 consecutive days of intense and continuous rainfall.[2] On January 26, the rainfall accumulation was 100.8 mm in Bom Jesus do Galho,[3] 128 mm in Nova Era,[4] 109 mm in Dom Cavati,[5] and 114 mm in Colatina.[6] On January 30, 132.1 mm were recorded in Aimorés[7] and 164 mm in the municipality of Ipanema, where 216.4 mm had already fallen on January 26, bringing the total monthly accumulation in Ipanema to 722.2 mm.[8] In Itaguaçu, the accumulated rainfall was 104 mm on January 19 and 127 mm on January 31.[9] On February 1, Ipanema recorded 81.6 mm,[10] and the municipality of Timóteo received 131.2 mm.[11] On February 2, 161.2 mm of rain fell in Belo Oriente,[12] 117.4 mm in Dom Cavati,[13] and 108 mm in Ferros.[14] In the capital of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, the total rainfall accumulation for January and February reached 1,239.8 mm.[15]

Impacts

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The cities of Linhares, Colatina, Aimorés, Conselheiro Pena, and Governador Valadares, located along the banks of the Doce River, as well as Rio Piracicaba, Nova Era, Timóteo, and Coronel Fabriciano along the Piracicaba River, were the hardest hit. Other affected areas included Caratinga, along the Caratinga River and São João Stream; Manhuaçu, on the Manhuaçu River; Ferros, on the Santo Antônio River; Mariana, on the Carmo River; Frei Inocêncio, on the Suaçuí Grande River; and Itaguaçu, on the Santa Joana River.[1] At least 37 towns were isolated.[2] In Ipatinga, in the Vale do Aço region, the damage was particularly severe: around 10,000 people were left homeless, and 42 people died, most of them buried by a large hillside collapse in the Esperança neighborhood, specifically in an area called Grota do IAPI. Municipalities such as Tumiritinga, Galileia, Itueta, Resplendor, Antônio Dias, Baixo Guandu, Ponte Nova, and Santana do Manhuaçu were also affected.[16]

After the floods, a network of rain and river gauge stations was installed in various municipalities to warn the population of potential floods. The system was managed by the Companhia de Pesquisa de Recursos Minerais [pt] (CPRM).[17] On April 6, 1979, a friendly soccer match between Atlético Mineiro and Flamengo was held at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro to raise funds for the flood victims. The match ended with a 5-1 victory for the Rio de Janeiro team, with Pelé playing a special role.[18][19]

With the flooding of the São Francisco River, several municipalities in Minas Gerais and Bahia were also inundated. Affected areas included Pirapora, Montes Claros, Januária, São Romão, Malhada, Paratinga, and Xique-Xique.[20][21][22]

Succeeding

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In January 1997, major floods hit several cities in Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, and Rio de Janeiro following continuous rainfall. The floods resulted in 82 deaths, with 11,750 houses damaged and another 1,857 destroyed, affecting 175 municipalities.[23] In Governador Valadares, a large part of the city was flooded by the Doce River, marking the second-worst flood in the city's history, after the 1979 disaster. The third worst flood occurred in 2012, when the river reached four meters and thirteen centimeters above its normal level on January 6 of that year.[24]

The damage caused by the 2013 floods in southeastern Brazil [pt], however, was comparable to the devastation of 1979, leaving more than 40 people dead and 50,000 people displaced. Over a hundred municipalities in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo were affected, and a state of emergency was declared across Espírito Santo.[25][26] In cities such as Barra de São Francisco and Rio Bananal, the damage in 2013 exceeded that of the 1970s.[27]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Castilho, Alice Silva de (2011). "Avaliação preliminar da viabilidade do uso de reservatórios previstos para geração de energia elétrica para minimização dos efeitos de cheias na Bacia do Rio Doce" [Preliminary assessment of the feasibility of using reservoirs planned for electricity generation to minimize the effects of floods in the Doce River Basin] (PDF). XIX Simpósio Brasileiro de Recursos Hídricos. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-28. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  2. ^ a b "Pior enchente de Minas Gerais foi em 79" [Minas Gerais' worst flood was in 79]. Folha de S. Paulo. 2003-01-17. Archived from the original on 2003-02-19. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  3. ^ Agência Nacional de Águas (1979). "Chuvas - Médias Diárias Janeiro de 1979: Estação Bom Jesus do Galho" [Rainfall - Daily Average January 1979: Bom Jesus do Galho Station]. Sistema Nacional de Informações Sobre Recursos Hídricos. Archived from the original on 2013-12-29. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  4. ^ Agência Nacional de Águas (1979). "Chuvas - Médias Diárias Janeiro de 1979: Estação Nova Era" [Rainfall - Daily Averages January 1979: Nova Era Station]. Sistema Nacional de Informações Sobre Recursos Hídricos. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  5. ^ Agência Nacional de Águas (1979). "Chuvas - Médias Diárias Janeiro de 1979: Estação Dom Cavati" [Rainfall - Daily Average January 1979: Dom Cavati Station]. Sistema Nacional de Informações Sobre Recursos Hídricos. Archived from the original on 2013-12-29. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  6. ^ Agência Nacional de Águas (1979). "Chuvas - Médias Diárias Janeiro de 1979: Estação Serraria (Alto do Moacir)" [Rainfall - Daily Average January 1979: Serraria Station (Alto do Moacir)]. Sistema Nacional de Informações Sobre Recursos Hídricos. Archived from the original on 2013-12-29. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  7. ^ Agência Nacional de Águas (1979). "Chuvas - Médias Diárias Janeiro de 1979: Estação São Sebastião da Encruzilhada" [Rainfall - Daily Average January 1979: São Sebastião da Encruzilhada Station]. Agência Nacional de Águas. Archived from the original on 2013-12-29. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  8. ^ Agência Nacional de Águas (1979). "Chuvas - Médias Diárias Janeiro de 1979: Estação Ipanema" [Rainfall - Daily Averages January 1979: Ipanema Station]. Sistema Nacional de Informações Sobre Recursos Hídricos. Archived from the original on 2013-12-29. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  9. ^ Agência Nacional de Águas (1979). "Chuvas - Médias Diárias Janeiro de 1979: Estação Itaguaçu" [Rainfall - Daily Average January 1979: Itaguaçu Station]. Sistema Nacional de Informações Sobre Recursos Hídricos. Archived from the original on 2013-12-29. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  10. ^ Agência Nacional de Águas (1979). "Chuvas - Médias Diárias Fevereiro de 1979: Estação Ipanema" [Rainfall - Daily Average February 1979: Ipanema Station]. Sistema Nacional de Informações Sobre Recursos Hídricos. Archived from the original on 2013-12-29. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  11. ^ Agência Nacional de Águas (1979). "Chuvas - Médias Diárias Fevereiro de 1979: Estação Acesita" [Rainfall - Daily Average February 1979: Acesita Station]. Sistema Nacional de Informações Sobre Recursos Hídricos. Archived from the original on 2013-12-29. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  12. ^ Agência Nacional de Águas (1979). "Chuvas - Médias Diárias Fevereiro de 1979: Estação Cachoeira Escura" [Rainfall - Daily Average February 1979: Cachoeira Escura Station]. Sistema Nacional de Informações Sobre Recursos Hídricos. Archived from the original on 2013-12-29. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  13. ^ Agência Nacional de Águas (1979). "Chuvas - Médias Diárias Fevereiro de 1979: Estação Dom Cavati" [Rainfall - Daily Average February 1979: Dom Cavati Station]. Sistema Nacional de Informações Sobre Recursos Hídricos. Archived from the original on 2013-12-29. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  14. ^ Agência Nacional de Águas (1979). "Chuvas - Médias Diárias Fevereiro de 1979: Estação Ferros" [Rainfall - Daily Average February 1979: Ferros Station]. Sistema Nacional de Informações Sobre Recursos Hídricos. Archived from the original on 2013-12-29. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  15. ^ Agência Nacional de Águas (1979). "Chuvas - Médias Mensais - 1979: Estação Caixa de Areia" [Rainfall - Monthly Averages - 1979: Caixa de Areia Station]. Sistema Nacional de Informações Sobre Recursos Hídricos. Archived from the original on 2013-12-29. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  16. ^ Comitê da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Doce (2005). "Capítulo 4: Diagnóstico dos desastres relacionados a chuvas intensas" [Chapter 4: Diagnosis of disasters related to heavy rainfall]. Relatório final do GT - Cheias do Rio Doce [Final report of the WG - Doce River Floods] (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2009-05-11.
  17. ^ Sistema de alerta contra enchentes da Bacia do Rio Doce: Relatório Técnico do período de operação dezembro de 2008 a de abril de 2009 [Doce River Basin Flood Alert System: Technical Report for the period from December 2008 to April 2009] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Vol. 1. Belo Horizonte: CPRM - Serviço Geológico do Brasil. 2009. pp. 1, 5–7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-12.
  18. ^ "Fotos: Pelé vestia a camisa do Flamengo há 34 anos" [Photos: Pelé wore the Flamengo shirt 34 years ago]. Placar. 2013-04-06. Archived from the original on 2014-09-05. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  19. ^ "Memória do Plantão relembra o dia em que Pelé vestiu a camisa do Flamengo" [Memória do Plantão recalls the day Pelé wore the Flamengo shirt]. JP. 2014-04-06. Archived from the original on 2024-12-11. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  20. ^ "Enchentes assolam o Brasil" [Floods ravage Brazil]. Despertai!. 1979. p. 13. Archived from the original on 2024-05-11. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  21. ^ Abreu, Tiago (2020). Histórias de Paratinga [Stories from Paratinga] (in Portuguese). Cânone Editorial. p. 56. ISBN 9788580581126.
  22. ^ Souza, Valderi Teles de (1979). A enchente desabriga o povo [The flood displaces the people] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Irecê. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-03-01.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  23. ^ "Em vídeos, relembre outras tragédias causadas pela chuva no Brasil" [In videos, remember other tragedies caused by rain in Brazil]. G1. 2011-01-14. Archived from the original on 2023-11-17. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  24. ^ Rosa, Giuliano Martins (2012). Impactos das enchentes no bairro São Pedro em Governador Valadares - MG [Impacts of flooding in the São Pedro neighborhood in Governador Valadares - MG] (PDF). IFMG. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  25. ^ Bruno, Cássio (2013-12-24). "Após sobrevoo no Espírito Santo, Dilma disse ter visto cenário 'impressionante'; 14 já morreram" [After flying over Espírito Santo, Rousseff says she saw 'impressive' scenery; 14 have already died]. O Globo. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  26. ^ Chaib, Julia (2013-12-27). "Chuva: passa de 40 número de mortos no Espírito Santo e em Minas Gerais" [Rain: more than 40 dead in Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais]. Correio Braziliense. Archived from the original on 2013-12-29. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  27. ^ Gomes, Fiorella (2013-12-21). "Com as fortes chuvas, enchentes podem ser maiores do que a de 1979, diz Incaper" [With the heavy rains, floods could be bigger than in 1979, says Incaper]. A Gazeta. Archived from the original on 2013-12-26. Retrieved 2025-01-17.