River floods expected to affect over 100,000 in Amazonas state

The rise of the Amazon river is expected to affect at least 100,000 people in Amazonas state this year, according to the state’s emergency management department. Heavy rains are expected to continue until May and raise the level of local rivers. The effects of flooding are already felt by 9,000 families in municipalities facing emergencies around Juruá, one of the tributaries south of the Amazon river.

“Five municipalities along Juruá river have declared emergency and another two are on alert. A warning has been triggered for Solimões, and the middle and lower Amazon regions are on alert. A big flood this year is expected to impact 100,000 people,” the state emergency management secretary said.

The emergency management department has been focusing its efforts on emergency preparedness. The secretary said a stock of supplies will be used to provide relief to populations living along other rivers, where the situation is expected to worsen. “We’ve got 6.500 tons of provisions to assist the local populations when the Solimões, Amazonas, and likely the Purus river overflow.”

Emergency-stricken municipalities are already being assisted. A ferry carrying 500 tons worth of disaster relief provisions from the federal and state governments is travelling the Juruá river region. “We’ve sent missions to the municipalities and set up a delivery scheme to distribute the provisions immediately upon arrival,” the secretary said.

The families affected by the floods get food baskets, drug kits (antibiotics, vitamins, oral rehydration salts, painkillers), sleeping kits (bed sheets, mosquito nets, hammocks), personal care products, and drinking water gallons. In addition, the health surveillance department provides disease control and water treatment equipment, including pressure sprayers, and 10,000 sodium hypochlorite units to clean water.

Guajará, Ipixuna, Eirunepé, Itamarati and Carauari are the municipalities along Juruá river that are in a state of emergency. Manacapuru on the lower Solimões and Tefé on the middle Solimões have declared landslide emergencies. Sixteen municipalities on the Solimões, lower Amazonas, and Juruá river are on alert, and 18 municipalities on the Middle Amazon and Middle Solimões have issued warnings.

Donations

The Amazonas Social Advancement Fund has provided the state emergency management department with 41 tons of food donations raised in a charity football match held in February at the Arena da Amazônia stadium, featuring two Amazonas-born MMA fighters, José Aldo and Rony Torres. The traditional Bloco das Piranhas street Carnival parade raised two tons of food aid. The donations will be entirely used in the flood relief efforts.