When Lucas George Vento arrived at Lahaired in late May, the water had already begun to recede.
Just a few days ago, only the tops of rooftops and treetops were visible above the murky brown water that covered his hometown. Lajeado, with a population of 85,000 and located in the Tacari Valley, was one of the areas hardest hit by the historic floods that hit Brazil’s southernmost Rio Grande do Sul state from late April to mid-May. More than 650,000 people were evacuated and 173 died. , and injured 806.
Thirty-eight people were still missing when Vento arrived. Backhoes were scooping mud from blocked roads, city workers were cleaning sidewalks with pressure washers and volunteers were sorting through donations of clothing, food, personal hygiene products and bottled water.
Wendt currently lives in Porto Alegre, the state capital, and is studying for a master’s degree in information science while working in the field of communication at Tacari Valley University (Univertes), but he decided to check on the safety of his family and friends. I was coming home. But he also wanted to do something to help during his stay.
Citizen Map’s development team hopes to use data to help authorities rethink urban planning and disaster recovery.
Last September, he heard about a Unibates mapping project led by researcher Sofia Royer Moraes, an environmental engineer who studies extreme flooding events in the Tacuali-Antas river basin. At the time, the Takali River, which flows through Lahaired, overflowed and the region was facing its worst flooding in 82 years, displacing at least 359,000 people and killing 48 people. The inhabitants of Takali Valley were exploited. As with dealing with annual floods, this event was different. Research has found that climate change is making flooding worse and future floods could cause even more deaths.
That’s when Moraes decided he could do something to help. she created something called citizen mapusing Google Maps as a platform for the public to pinpoint the reach of flood waters using their smartphones. These so-called citizen scientists were instructed to take pictures of what they saw and send them, along with their geolocation, to a WhatsApp group monitored by Moraes and her team. By combining that information with historical flood data for the area, the team can model what will happen during future floods and determine where residents who have already lost everything can most safely rebuild their lives. will help you decide. The model can also provide authorities with the information they need to improve urban planning and resource allocation.
Fascinated by the project’s potential, Wendt wanted to get involved. At this point, Unibates had partnered with the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, and the goal this time was to map the entire state of Rio Grande do Sul.
Lucas Wendt took these photos of Lahaired after the May floods. From left to right: A white cross with mud on it. A house left in rubble. Marks on the wall indicating flood height.
lucas george wendt
As Wendt drove around his hometown, he took photos of everything he thought would be useful for a civic map. A lone house stands alone among the hundreds of houses that were washed away. A mark recording the height of the water level on a wall in the city center.
The more than 20 data points Wendt collected at the end of May are now among more than 600 data points on the regularly updated Citizen Map. He knew this contribution would help others, but he was surprised to find that it helped him too.
“It helped me understand the connections between all of these things,” he said. “If it rains in one place, what are the effects downstream? People who participate in this type of citizen science initiative will ultimately have increased awareness to deal with these types of situations. , safer and more empowered, but unfortunately we know we can expect a lot more in the near future.”
In the context of climate change, the team behind CitizenMap believes that Brazilian authorities can use this data to improve everything from urban planning and post-disaster recovery to healthcare and access to clean drinking water in the aftermath caused by climate change. We want you to rethink everything, even the possibilities. A disaster. They also believe that by educating people about what is happening around them, not only will they increase interest and investment in participating in local flood solutions, but they will also be better prepared to face what is to come. I want you to feel like you’ve made it.
Climate scientists have found that the burning of fossil fuels has doubled the likelihood of recent heavy rains occurring in Rio Grande do Sul.
Experts blame the severity of recent flooding in southern Brazil on human-induced climate change. Ann analysis A study carried out by researchers at the Institute of Climate and Environmental Sciences at the Pierre Simon Laplace Institute found that extreme weather events in Rio Grande do Sul between 2001 and 2023 were higher than those between 1979 and 2001. It was shown that the rainfall was up to 15 percent higher than the extreme weather events that occurred during the year.
a recent research Also, “areas with high population density, [in] The coasts of southern and southeastern Brazil and northeastern Brazil are most exposed to landslides and flooding, and these impacts will continue to worsen as the climate warms. and rainfall intensity increased by 6 to 9 percent.
The first record flood that washed away the Tacari Valley and other parts of Rio Grande do Sul occurred in 1941. The floods, which also occurred in April and May, displaced the region’s population, which at the time was mostly rural. With no food, water, or shelter. The only record of the height of the floodwaters were scratch marks on the school walls.
“That memory is sequestered there,” Wendt says of the marker. “With the technology we have, if that were to happen today, it wouldn’t be able to contribute much.”
Screenshot of Citizen Map. The blue icon indicates the extent of recent flooding in Porto Alegre.
Takali Valley University / Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
The first citizen map, created by Moraes last September, used data only around the affected areas to determine which parts of the Takali Valley are considered at high risk of future flooding. collected. Approximately 600 data points were submitted by 150 citizen scientists.
Some of the neighborhoods that were heavily involved in mapping the September floods are not involved in the creation of the new map, likely because they remain difficult to access or not accessible at all. . And as the state continues to recover from the emergency, initially focused on rescuing people and animals from rapids and collapsing buildings, it is now moving people to shelters and other more permanent housing. have been evacuated, but data collection is expected to be delayed.
“The data will start coming in faster, probably in the next two to three weeks,” Moraes said. “The actual modeling of the Citizen Map is scheduled to take place in July and August, and we will be available for consultation at that time as well.”
In addition to using ambient data to show the horizontal extent of water, the new map also uses data about flood heights. This data is often measured by water and mud stains left on the walls of people’s homes and local businesses.
For people living downstream, information about what was happening upstream was critical to deciding when to evacuate.
Citizen Map is currently very simple and powered by Google, but the team plans to partner with open mapping nonprofits. Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team To improve the visuals of the final product. “Google Maps’ visuals are great, but pretty standard,” Wendt says. “We want to make our maps as easy to understand as possible so that they are available to anyone who wants to refer to them to help keep themselves safe and make the best decisions for their future.”
Moraes and his team were at work on May 2, the second of three rains and floods this year began in Rio Grande do Sul (the other two were April 29 and May 13). I had to vacate the university building where I was working. The water level began to rise again, and this time water entered the room.
They ended up setting up shop at A Hora, a local radio station. There they were given a space to work, talk about their projects on air, and provide WhatsApp numbers to anyone who wanted to send data or ask questions.
Soon, the messages started pouring in. On May 2, about 200 people submitted their locations to the Citizen Map team, which spent the day and night analyzing the data to determine who is in or near the at-risk area and who should evacuate. I decided whether it should be done. For people living downstream, information about what was happening further upstream was critical to making such decisions.
May 14, 2024, flooding in Porto Alegre.
Jefferson Bernardes/Getty Images
“It is very important for people to understand their surroundings and know if they are in a dangerous area,” Moraes said. “And they want to understand. They want to get engaged.”
Anyone with a smartphone can collect data for the latest version of the Citizen Map, but so far most of the participants have been professors and their students at universities in the region. We hope that more people will participate once the situation on the ground starts to improve.
“I’m a big supporter of citizen science efforts because it’s exactly what people need to learn and feel empowered,” said water resources expert and San Caetano says Marta Angela Marcondes, coordinator of the Water Pollution Index project at the Municipal University of Do Sul. “I really believe in a process of prevention rather than remediation, and civil society is a key element in making this happen.”
Researchers hope CitizenMap will continue to grow and eventually map drinking water scarcity and access to health care.
A culture of prevention is also important to Moraes. She hopes Citizen Map will not only help Rio Grande do Sul residents stay safe and informed, but also guide authorities to do the same. By using maps to define risk areas, decision makers can improve urban planning and create better mitigation plans for future floods, such as improving stormwater drainage and management systems, and improving housing, schools, and healthcare facilities. She says they can allow new establishments such as. , will be built in safer areas.
Moraes hopes CitizenMap will continue to grow and eventually map drinking water shortages, access to basic health care, and even cases of disease in the aftermath of climate-related crises.
“With that information, you get a complete picture by city, region and state,” she says. “As a decision maker, I can use this information to determine which areas are more vulnerable and guide the public policy needed for areas that need it most.”
Two to five years after the initial events, Moraes hopes to be able to map how these public policies ended up and measure their success. “People need to be prepared in the new context of climate change,” she says. “We can’t stop these events from happening, but we can make sure we’re prepared to deal with them in the best way possible.”
