GEO Brasil - UNEP

occurs in winter, and the minimum
level takes place in summer for
virtually the entire region, except for a
portion of Parana, where the maximum
level occurs in summer and the
minimum level occurs in autumn; and
Parana’s and Santa Catarina’s coast,
with maximum levels in summer and
minimum levels in winter The region
does not have a clearly defined dry
season, except for the northwest area
of Parana (INMET)
This region is particularly affected by
sudden floods, dry spells, frosts, hail
rains, windstorms and, to a lesser
degree, tornadoes Disasters with
hazardous materials are noteworthy
because of the active traffic between
southern states and neighbouring
countries – Uruguay, Argentina and
Paraguay
Figure 6 - Summary of disasters in Brazil
the state of the environment in Brazil
YEAR 2000 – All states in the South
have been affected by natural
disasters, especially by dry spells, hail
rains, windstorms and floods
YEAR 2001 – The South was
particularly affected by floods and dry
spells during the last quarter Floods
occurred in more than 130
municipalities in the State of Rio
Grande do Sul from February to April
and from September to November; 49
municipalities in Santa Catarina were
affected from January to June and in
November and December, with special
notice for March, month during which
the greatest number of municipalities
was affected; and 3 municipalities in
Parana in November (Table 15)
*Forest fires, including burns as a procedure to clear land for cropping purposes.
Source: SEDEC/MI
In June, the State of Santa Catarina
witnessed the sea encroachment
phenomenon in 6 municipalities (Barra
Velha, Bombinhas, Navegantes,
Balneario de Camboriu, Balneario
Barra do Sul and Itapoa) and in 01
municipality in the State of Parana
(Matinhos)
Still in Santa Catarina, the municipalities of Grao-Para, Santa Terezinha (January)
and Laguna (April) suffered the effects of windstorms and, in Rio Grande do Sul,
the municipalities of Ijui, Camaqua and Cotipora were affected by hail rains
In January dry spells were reported in the municipalities of Braga and Coronel
Bicaço (Rio Grande do Sul) This disaster remained in early 2002; more intensely
in the States of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul
169