The Government of Acre declared this Monday (29) an emergency situation in five municipalities affected by floods in the latter part of this year. The measure covers the capital, Rio Branco, as well as the towns of Feijó, Plácido de Castro, Santa Rosa do Purus and Tarauacá.
The significant volume of rain in recent days has raised the levels of the Acre, Purus and Tarauacá rivers, driving families from their homes on the eve of New Year’s Eve.
Rio Branco City Hall said Monday that the flood of the Acre River had already reached 43 neighborhoods of the capital since Friday (26), affecting more than 12 thousand people — the city’s population is estimated by the IBGE at 389 thousand inhabitants.
According to the administration of Tião Bocalom (PL), the majority of families were hosted by relatives, while 304 people were sent to municipal shelters.
The state government’s decree was published in an additional edition of the Official Gazette with the signature of the Acting Governor, Mailza Assis. Validity is 180 days.
“With this decree, the State Coordination for Civil Protection and Defense (CEPDC) becomes responsible for coordinating actions with federal, state and municipal authorities, mobilizing human and material resources, coordinating relief activities for isolated communities and providing assistance and logistical support to affected municipalities,” the Acre government said in a note.
The measure takes into account the heavy precipitation recorded in December, notably in Rio Branco, where accumulated precipitation reached 483 millimeters, according to the state administration. The volume exceeds the average for the period, estimated at 265 millimeters.
According to the management of Gladson Cameli (PP), the level of the Acre River continues to rise and reached 15.38 meters in the capital at 3 p.m. The alert and overflow quotas in Rio Branco are 13.50 meters and 14 meters respectively.
While announcing the order, the government did not specify the number of families displaced from their homes in the state due to the rains.
Earlier in the morning, a daily bulletin from the state administration indicated that the Acre River recorded, for the months of December, a flood which had not occurred in approximately 50 years.
This same survey counted 46 families (or 186 people) in four shelters in Rio Branco. The bulletin numbers should only be updated this Tuesday (30).
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