The state government declared an emergency last Friday (29)
By First Lieutenant (RM2-T) Thaís Cerqueira – Manaus, AM
On Friday (29), the government of Amazonas declared an emergency situation and set up a committee to manage the crisis due to the severe drought and fires affecting the state. Representatives of the Armed Forces and the state government took part in a meeting in which they presented the difficulties faced by the people of Amazonas, due to the low level of the rivers and the lack of rain. In all, 19 municipalities have already declared a state of emergency, 35 are on alert and five are in a state of caution.
The crisis committee will work on three fronts: humanitarian, providing assistance to isolated populations; combating wildfires; and preserving economic activity. The Armed Forces will provide logistical support. “There is no other entity in the Federation with the structure and capacity to set up this logistical support. We need to bring drinking water, food and fuel to the populations in a state of emergency,” said the Governor of Amazonas, Wilson Lima.
At the meeting, the Commander of the 9th Naval District, Vice-Admiral Thadeu Marcos Orosco Coelho Lobo, detailed the actions that the Brazilian Navy carries out throughout the year to guarantee the safety of navigation, the safeguarding of human life and the prevention of water pollution in the rivers of the Western Amazon. In addition, the Admiral highlighted the work of the Naval Force in the crisis areas, with the emergency update of the survey of the critical stretches of the Solimões River and the annual hydrographic survey of the Madeira River, which guarantee safe navigation and mitigate the increase in freight costs.
“In this sense, and with the aim of maintaining navigation safety, the Western Amazon and Porto Velho Captaincies issued ordinances this year, helping to protect against navigation accidents that could interrupt the river flow or cause damage to the environment,” explained the Commander of the 9th Naval District.
To combat the fires, which mostly occur around Manaus (AM), the 1st Northwest General Purpose Helicopter Squadron began flying Bambi Buckets on the same day to put out fires in hard-to-reach areas. The equipment makes it possible to throw water on the outbreaks in order to completely extinguish them or reduce their area, to facilitate the work of the ground teams.
Source: Agência Marinha de Notícias