Flooding in São Sebastião do Caí due to rain Mateus Bruxel/ Agencia RBS The National Civil Defense recognized, this Friday (24), the emergency situation in 31 municipalities hit by heavy rain, windstorms, drought or drought. The cities are located in Bahia, Ceará, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte and Rio Grande do Sul. The recognition was made official through ordinances published in the Official Gazette of the Union. The measure allows city halls to request federal resources for civil defense actions, such as assistance to affected families, reestablishment of essential services and recovery of damaged structures. Rio Grande do Sul has the largest number of municipalities included in the ordinances: there are 17 cities hit by intense rain or windstorms. Another 13 municipalities in the Northeast face periods of drought or drought. According to Climatempo, new areas of instability are expected to form between the north of Argentina, Paraguay and Rio Grande do Sul and spread heavy rain across the state of Rio Grande do Sul from Sunday (26). The showers may be accompanied by lightning, gusts of wind and hail. Cemaden points to a high risk of flooding in the lower reaches of the Uruguay River Basin, in the Uruguaiana region, due to the rise of rivers following the rains of recent days. There is also a moderate risk of continued flooding in the Taquari and Caí river basins and rising levels of the Jacuí and Sinos rivers. In the interior of the Northeast, the weather is expected to remain firm, hot and dry, with no forecast of sufficient rain to alleviate the drought in the short term. Images of disruptions caused by rain in RS Edition g1 Rains hit 16 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul Heavy rains led to the recognition of an emergency situation in 16 cities in Rio Grande do Sul: Áurea; Braga; Constantine; Two Brothers of the Missions; Floriano Peixoto; Getúlio Vargas; Humaitá; Jacutinga; Ponte Preta; Porto Xavier; Redeemer; Sananduva; São Valério do Sul; Três Palmeiras; Trindade do Sul; Vila Nova do Sul. Two other municipalities had their emergency recognized due to windstorms: Canguaretama, in Rio Grande do Norte, and Eldorado do Sul, in Rio Grande do Sul. Drought and drought affect cities in the Northeast The lack of rain led to federal recognition in 13 northeastern municipalities. Jornal Nacional The lack of rain led to federal recognition in 13 northeastern municipalities. Facing a period of drought: Bahia: Aracatu, Boa Vista do Tupim, Ibiassucê and Malhada de Pedras; Ceará: Itapajé and Paramoti; Paraíba: São João do Cariri, Santa Cecília and Bernardino Batista; Pernambuco: Cumaru and São Caetano; Piauí: Itainópolis; Picos, also in Piauí, had an emergency situation recognized due to the drought. Although both phenomena are related to the scarcity of rain, drought corresponds to a more prolonged and intense period of absence or reduction in precipitation. Drought usually represents a temporary decrease in rainfall in relation to what is expected for a given region. Recognition allows request for federal resources With federal recognition, municipalities can request resources from the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development for response and recovery actions. The request must be submitted through the Integrated Disaster Information System, S2iD. On the platform, city halls send work plans with planned measures, goals and necessary values. The National Civil Defense technical team analyzes the documentation. If the request is approved, a new ordinance is published in the Official Gazette of the Union with the amount authorized for release. The resources can be allocated, among other measures, to the purchase of food, drinking water and hygiene materials, the rental of equipment, the repair of roads and public structures and the reestablishment of essential services in the affected areas.