Brazilian states Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul confront rising disaster costs and flood threats

An audit of Minas Gerais found that the state and its 853 municipalities spent R$823 million on post‑disaster response and recovery between 2012 and 2025, more than double the R$462 million allocated to preventive measures. The report notes that less than 1.1% of the state budget is earmarked for prevention, with outdated risk maps, insufficient climate‑hydrological monitoring, limited alert system maintenance, and a shortage of qualified civil defense personnel in many municipalities.

In Rio Grande do Sul, the Rio Taquari surged above its flood threshold on 22 April, rising 85 centimetres within an hour and prompting the state’s civil defense to issue maximum alerts for dozens of municipalities, including Encantado, Lajeado and Estrela. The Brazilian Geological Service projects the water could reach up to 24 metres in the coming hours as extreme rainfall exceeding 150 mm fell across the basin. While new data‑driven monitoring technologies have improved the state’s ability to forecast and respond, officials warn that severe storms can still cause significant damage.