MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Impact of Rainfall in Brazil Is Worse Than That of Chilean Earthquake
The torrential rainfall that Brazil has been experiencing for the past week has had an even bigger impact on the population than that of the earthquake Chile experienced in 2010, said a member of the military who had worked in Chile and now runs a makeshift hospital where victims of the worst natural disaster that Brazil has experienced are being treated. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesMy commiserations to those families deprived of their loved ones.
Jan 19th, 2011 - 01:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0.................................
Geography 101: These were V-shaped valleys, deep-cut with braided boulder beds. This means, even to a (GCSE) educated school child, that periodic spasmic flooding inundates the valley in spate conditions. The local rock configuration has folded strata with slip-surfaces on the scarp and valley sides - so, landslip when water-saturated? - probable.
The original Swiss inhabitants knew this and built in appropriate locations. Later incomers built on the river bed and into the steep valley sides. Disaster was inevitable; the only unknown was the scale - and this depends on the strength of the humid air-movements through the Rio Funnel, which we know has increased over the most recent decades (Global Warming climate change?).
If ever there was a message for the nation, this is it:
Invest in Planning Controls and Building Regulations;
Invest in GIS and Climate Risk Analysis.
It is not 'rocket science', but it needs political and administrative commitment, and the funds and training, to make it happen.
I send my condoleces to the families that have lost members and have suffered so terrible situation and.
Jan 23rd, 2011 - 11:42 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Yes, probably the damage is bigger that the Chilean earthquake, because due the experience of that kind of events in Chile, the housing construction is better than other countries with the rsult of a lower damage for a almost grade 9 movement. Just compare with the Haiti earthqake one year ago, grade 7,5, and the result was over 4 times on dead people and 10 times on material looses.
Anyway, the Chilean looses, could be lower if the Bachelet gvt. would have the resolution to act as the event demanded.
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