Severe flooding in Porto Alegre, Brazil, disproportionately impacted the city's Black residents, exacerbating existing inequalities and causing widespread displacement and damage.
Tiago Rogero reports for The Guardian.
In short:
- Torrential rains flooded Marcelo Moreira Ferreira’s home in Porto Alegre, forcing him and his family to evacuate.
- Research shows the hardest-hit areas have a high proportion of Afro-Brazilian residents, highlighting systemic inequality.
- Brazil’s federal government has announced aid, but many affected, including Ferreira, find it insufficient.
Key quote:
“I’m afraid the water will rise again, but we came back because it’s the only place we have.”
— Marcelo Moreira Ferreira, resident
Why this matters:
Flooding in Porto Alegre reveals deep-seated racial and socio-economic disparities, with Black communities facing the harshest consequences. Rising global temperatures and altered precipitation patterns are contributing to more extreme and unpredictable weather, posing a growing threat to vulnerable populations.
