Petrópolis is among the cities in Brazil with the highest risk of disasters due to its relief, rainfall and disorderly occupation of slopes.

EnvironPact Sustentabilidade e Resiliência, in an unprecedented partnership with the NGO SOS Serra and its partners, has initiated a social project to implement the ICS (Incident Command System) methodology — a system also adopted by municipal and state authorities — in joint action plans for disaster response and the first six months of work included diagnosing the organization’s emergency preparedness, identifying activities and planning specific training.

The training followed our inclusion methodology and promotion of joint work between partners, authorities and community leaders. On December 2, 2023, the first simulation was held, bringing together community leaders, Civil Defense representatives and disaster management authorities. This is a fundamental step towards strengthening the Emergency Plan of the municipality of Petrópolis (RJ) since the city holds the record for landslides. In 2022 alone, more than 700 landslides were recorded in its urban perimeter. That same year, in February, torrential rain caused the collapse of hillsides with fatal consequences for more than 200 people. During the city’s rescue and recovery efforts, the role of communities and NGOs that supported the authorities’ various initiatives was fundamental. One of them was SOS Serra.

The training helped all parties better understand their roles and think about how they can be more effective, both in planning and executing them if necessary. “We are proud to participate in a project of such relevance to society, contributing to the city of Petrópolis’s resilience and effective response in emergencies. We are grateful for the invitation from SOS Serra to participate in the initiative”, says Adriano Ranieri, CEO of EnvironPact.