NON CYCLONIC

STORM AND

LANDSLIDE IN BRAZIL

2011

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

MANPREET KAUR SIDDHARTH VERMA(1610991848)

SIDDHANT SHARMA(1610991847)

SIDHANT BISHT(16109911849)

SIDHARTH SHARMA(1610991850)

SIMERPREET SINGH(16109911851)

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CASE STUDY PLANGROUP NO : CSE L-13

I.TITLE NON CYCLONIC STORM AND LANDSLIDE IN BRAZIL 2011II. GROUP

STUDYPLANCASE INVESTIGATERS

1 SIDDHARTH VERMA(1610991848) --- PRINTING

2 SIDHANT BISHT(16109911849) --- EDITING THE FINAL REPORT

3 SIDHARTH SHARMA(1610991850) --- BINDING + INTERNET RESEARCH

4 SIMERPREET SINGH(16109911851) --- SCRIPT WRITING

5 SIDHARTH SHARMA(1610991850 --- LIBRARY STUDY

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CASE STUDY - Non cyclonic storm and landslide in Brazil

2011

I-Abstract

A series of floods and mudslides took place in January 2011 in several towns of the

Mountainous Region (Região Serrana), in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro.

Casualties occurred in the cities of Nova Friburgo, Teresópolis, Petrópolis, Bom

Jardim, Sumidouro and São José do Vale do Rio Preto. The floods caused at least

903 deaths, including 424 in Nova Friburgo and 378 in Teresópolis.

While local media claims that the combination of floods, mudslides and landslides

in Rio de Janeiro became the worst weather-related natural disaster in Brazilian

history, some contend that a similar weather-related tragedy that took place in the

same state in 1967 was much deadlier, and that an estimated 1,700 people lost their

lives on that occasion.

In a 24-hour period between 11 and 12 January 2011, the local weather service

registered more rainfall than what is expected for the entire month. Flooding of

many areas in the region followed immediately. The disaster caused widespread

property damage and the supply of public utilities such as electricity, running water

and phone lines was affected. Around 2960 people had their homes destroyed.

President Dilma Rousseff declared that an emergency R$ 780 million (U.S. $466.2

million) would become available for reconstruction workers. Acting governor Luís

Fernando Pezão sent reinforcements to the affected region and requested urgent

federal assistance in machinery, helicopters and manpower.

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II-Problem Statement

The causes of landslides are usually related to instabilities in slopes. It is usually

possible to identify one or more lansdslide causes and one landslide trigger. The

difference between these two concepts is subtle but important. The landslide

causes are the reasons that a landslide occurred in that location and at that time.

Landslide causes are listed in the following table, and

include geological factors, morphological factors, physical factors and factors

associated with human activity.

Causes may be considered to be factors that made the slope vulnerable to failure,

that predispose the slope to becoming unstable. The trigger is the single event that

finally initiated the landslide. Thus, causes combine to make a slope vulnerable to

failure, and the trigger finally initiates the movement. Landslides can have many

causes but can only have one trigger as shown in the next figure. Usually, it is

relatively easy to determine the trigger after the landslide has occurred (although it

is generally very difficult to determine the exact nature of landslide triggers ahead

of a movement event).

In meteorology, a cyclone is a large scale air mass that rotates around a strong

center of low atmospheric pressure. . All large-scale cyclones are centered on low-

pressure areas The largest low-pressure systems are  extratropical cyclones of the

largest scale Warm-core cyclones such as  cyclones and subtropical cyclones also

lie within the synoptic scale Mesocyclones, tornadoes and dust devils lie within the

smaller mesoscale Upper level cyclones can exist without the presence of a surface

low, and can pinch off from the base of the  Trough during the summer months in

the Northern Hemisphere. Cyclones have also been seen on extraterrestrial planets,

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III-BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Torrential rainstorms, which began yesterday, triggered a series of deadly

mudslides in at least three mountaintop towns to the north of Rio. Dozens of

people were buried alive as they slept, among them children.

The mountains saw 26cm (10in) of rain fall in less than 24 hours.

The worst hit area was Teresópolis, a popular hillside tourist town around 60 miles

north of Rio where at least 130 residents were buried under cascades of terracotta

mud and debris. Whole families were buried alive while at least 2,000 people were

reportedly forced from their homes.

"My friend has lost 15 relatives today," said Andreia Mattos, who was spending

her 45th birthday outside the city's morgue last night surrounded by masked

doctors and weeping locals desperately seeking information about missing

relatives. "It wasn't just the poor who were hit - it was mansions, everything. It all

came down.

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IV-FINDING

During my unfortunate lull in posts an extraordinary landslide disaster has of

course unfolded in Brazil, killing at least 700 people, and possibly more than a

thousand. The trigger has been very heavy rainfall associated with the current La

Nina conditions, although the underlying cause is likely to be a combination of

people living in the wrong places and damage to the environment as a result of

human activities. The epicentre has been the three towns of Nova Friburgo,

Teresopolis and Petropolis, located to the north of Rio de Janeiro. So let’s take a

look at Nova Friburgo.

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook the remote border region of Acre in the

Brazilian Amazon at around mid-day yesterday. Telephone lines are down and

there are reports of minor damage to houses. As yet, no serious casualties have

been reported.

Tremors were felt in the town of Cruzeiro do Sul, in the state of Acre, Brazil, News

Tremors were felt in the town of Cruzeiro do Sul, in the state of Acre, Brazil,

image by earthquake.usgs.gov.

According to data from the U.S. Geological Survey the quake originated in the

town of Pucallpa, in a sparsely populated central-eastern region of Peru on the

border with Brazil, some 600 km (370 miles) from the Peruvian capital Lima.

Shock waves were felt up to 210 km (130 miles) from the epicenter, in the town of

Cruzeiro do Sul in the state of Acre. However, seismologists are not anticipating

major damage because the earthquake occurred almost 145 km (90 miles)

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The worst hit area was Teresópolis, a popular hillside tourist town around 60 miles

north of Rio where at least 130 residents were buried under cascades of terracotta

mud and debris. Whole families were buried alive while at least 2,000 people were

reportedly forced from their homes.

"My friend has lost 15 relatives today," said Andreia Mattos, who was spending

her 45th birthday outside the city's morgue last night surrounded by masked

doctors and weeping locals desperately seeking information about missing

relatives. "It wasn't just the poor who were hit - it was mansions, everything. It all

came down."

Next to her crying women leafed nervously through an A-4 notepad filled with

pictures of unidentified corpses, bloated, mud-soaked limbs and babies whose

smooth faces had been frozen into peaceful gazes by their sudden deaths. Written

on the pad's frontcover were the words: "Victims of the natural disaster - 12.1.11".

The Guardian counted at least 8 babies among the photographs, as well as toddlers,

teenagers and elderly women.

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V-Conclusion

This study help us to understand condition occurred durind a disaster and teach us

how a disaster occur in brazil.When Brazil is in disaster danger government plays a

vital role in it . President Dilma Rousseff declared that an emergency R$780

million (U.S. $466.2 million) would become available for reconstruction

workers. Acting governor Luís Fernando Pezão sent reinforcements to the affected

region and requested urgent federal assistance in machinery, helicopters and

manpower. Rescue efforts were led by municipal governments, which also

provided shelter and amenities for the newly homeless, often in

schools. The Brazilian Navy and the Rio de Janeiro state government set up field

hospitals to assist the victims and to support rescue workers. A team of workers in

the operation had prior experience with the 2010 Rio de Janeiro floods and 2010

Haiti earthquake Analysts have commented that President Rousseff through her

management of the crisis "passed... her first big test", but that the structural

challenges that make certain (poverty-stricken) areas particularly hard hit in times

of environmental disaster, still need to be addressed. At last i want to conclude that

the these disasters are a part of nature and one cannot stop them only prevent them

by being ready beforehand.

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VI-Reference

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

January_2011_Rio_de_Janeiro_floods_and_mudslides

2 www.theguardian.com

3 http://all-geo.org/

4 Textbook of disaster management

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