Now, for our yearly “flood” series, some guy surfing on Sao Paulo streets.
This was in Japan, back in 2006.
Just reinforcing my point that living at sloped hills is a bit akin to living at the base of an active volcano. Either people have to be removed from those parts, or the hills have to be chopped, flattened, compacted and asphalted, that is, turned into regular cityscape. A clear decision has to be made in each place for human or environmental concerns - either you preserve the hills or let people build there, but not both.
Of course new homes have to be provided one way or another, but the already existing laws for land occupation have to be enforced as well. Simply letting people build shacks and houses anywhere with the excuse they’re poor can placate some guilty consciences, but will for sure lead to more deaths. The ones who regard this do-nothing attitude as progressive should look at their consciences when disasters like the current one occur.
If you want to donate to the disaster relief in Rio, make a deposit to:
- Banco Bradesco, Agency: 6570-6, Account #: 2011–7. Account owner: Fundo Estadual da Assistência Social.
dogs > cats
A dog, “Leao”, sits for a second consecutive day, next to the grave of her owner, Cristina Maria Cesario Santana, who died in the week’s catastrophic landslides in Brazil, at the cemetery in Teresopolis, near Rio de Janiero, on Jan.
Brazil is also suffering with rain. Over 350 deaths have been confirmed and over 50 people are still missing.
This picture was taken after a mudslide in Teresópolis, one of the three most affected cities on Rio de Janeiro.
By the way, before you all start that talk about saving the planet by plugging corks into cows’ asses, the only solution for deaths on mudslides - which happen every year well before we started talking about climate change - is preventing people from building on cliffs and riversides. Mostly poor people on shantytowns, and they won’t be happy. Who has the guts to do that?
South-eastern Brazil has been hit by massive rainfall that has triggered flooding and mudslides, leaving hundreds dead.
And here’s me using the “flood” tag again.
Praise Jesus
Already 161 people have been confirmed dead in the heavy rains that began Monday in Rio, most of them swept away in landslides that roared through city slums built on steep, unstable hillsides.
Now we have a major polemic going on. Rio’s governor passed a bill authorizing the demolition of homes in steep cliffs and other illegal areas - which means most of the favelas. Use of force is authorized if necessary. Favela resident organizations manifested strong opposition.
This is a big turn in policy regarding land occupation. Until now, Rio’s government pretty much tolerated illegal building in unsound locations including environmentally protected wildlife areas, making it very hard to provide all slums with proper urban facilities, as trash collection, plumbing, school and, yes, police. This is a decision that, for bad and good, may change Rio’s urban landscape forever.
