Explaining Brazil #293: When tragedy becomes a culture war

Author

Gustavo Ribeiro
May 15, 2024 • Reading Time: 3 minutes

The South of Brazil is being ravaged by torrential rainfall and floods. The death tally is around 150 — with over 600,000 people displaced from their homes.

Rainfall has continued over the past few days, and it remains impossible to say that the worst is behind the region.

Authorities, meanwhile, are battling another beast: disinformation. Falsehoods around how the government is aiding municipalities, managing donations, and regulating rescue efforts are crippling the official response to the tragedy.

Moreover, several false emergency reports have been filed, mobilizing scarce resources for nothing. This week, we will talk about how an undisputed tragedy has turned into a culture war.

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This episode used music from Uppbeat and Envato. License codes: Thriller by SilverHoof (PDZJSN698V), Aspire by Pryces (B6TUQLVYOWVKY02S), Lo-Fi Loop by Sci-Fi Dystopia by Orchestralis (68YNULT), and Action Cinematic Hip-Hop by Audiolibrary (AWTREYQMB8).

Background reading on the floods in South Brazil:

  • The flooding in Rio Grande do Sul is a harrowing example of how climate events have repeated themselves in recent years.

  • Flooding in southern Brazil has disrupted logistics, with hundreds of cities in Rio Grande do Sul cut off from infrastructure networks

  • For those who live abroad and want to help by donating to the rescue efforts, well-known NGOs and the local state government are making channels available for donations in foreign currency.

  • With their stadiums under water and flights suspended, clubs in Rio Grande do Sul got the national football authorities to suspend games in May, though fear grows over the future calendar problems this may cause

  • Follow all of our coverage of the Rio Grande do Sul floods here.

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