Brazil Emergency Alert System: An Overview of the New System

Brazil is highly prone to natural hazards. In the last five decades, various natural disasters have struck the country and killed many people. Therefore, the government improved the Brazil Emergency Alert System in 2024. The upgraded system is called “Defesa Civil Alerta” or Civil Defense Alert. 

The objective of this new system is to provide timely warnings for Brazilians during a natural disaster. Therefore, the country can avoid a greater calamity. What makes this system different from Brazil’s previous early warning system? 

Common Natural Disasters in Brazil

Brazil has experienced many types of natural hazards. Some of which occurred more frequently than others. Below are the most common natural hazards in this country.

1. Floods

Almost every year, Brazil experiences flooding. At times, the floods are low and not hazardous. However, other times, they last for days, cause people to evacuate, kill many of them, and trigger waterborne diseases.

The latest fatal flood in Brazil was the Rio Grande do Sul flood, which happened in April 2024. The cause of this flood was heavy rainfall lasting for days. Due to this hazard, rainwater inundated almost 90% of the Rio Grande do Sul region. 

Moreover, the flood affected nearly 1.5 million people and killed over 100 of them. This inundation also damaged communication systems, water systems, roads, and other infrastructures.  

2. Landslides

Landslides are also common in Brazil. Heavy rains and frequent flooding can cause soil erosion. In sloping areas, this condition will result in landslides. This hazard can be highly fatal when it occurs in densely populated areas.

3. Droughts

Another common disaster in Brazil is droughts. In the last decade, the country frequently experienced prolonged droughts. This condition causes wildfires, water crises, and fatalities. In 2024, a prolonged drought caused five river basins in Brazil to be in a state of water scarcity.

Getting to Know the Brazil Emergency Alert System

Brazil had several emergency alert systems, such as EWS and EOCs, in the past. The latter was in Rio de Janeiro. The city had an early warning system since 1966. The city uses this system to monitor the weather and warn citizens of potential natural hazards.

In 2010, the government expanded the EWS coverage. Meanwhile, the EOCs (emergency operations centers) are for coordinating immediate response actions.

Moreover, in 2024, Brazil Emergency Alert System underwent an improvement. The system has several components, with the new one being the Brazil emergency broadcast. 

A cell broadcast machine uses the radio cells of a smartphone network to disseminate emergency warnings of impending floods, storms, and landslides. Therefore, people in the affected areas can get a timely warning. 

In August 2024, the government launched cell broadcast alerts. People in eleven cities received the test alerts for a month. Their smartphones would ring the Brazil emergency alert sound when the emergency alert popped up on their phone screen even if their phones were in silent mode.

Cell broadcast is a complementary component to the country’s existing alert methods, such as EOCs, SMS, and sirens. However, not all these systems are effective and efficient. 

The SMS warning, for example, requires Brazilians to register first. Therefore, those who don’t subscribe to this SMS service will not get warning messages before extreme events.

The Advantages of Applying Cell Broadcast Emergency System

The government considers the cell broadcast system a crucial component of Brazil Emergency Alert System because it offers several advantages.

1. The emergency cell broadcast allows the government to disseminate a Brazil emergency alert without a database or asking people to register. Therefore, authorities can warn every smartphone owner in an area affected by an extreme event.

2. This communication method is also resilient. It allows the authority to broadcast an alert even when there is no internet or network services. Moreover, network congestion will not affect the process of disseminating warnings.

3. The cell broadcast can send warning messages to millions of people quickly. Therefore, the Brazilian government can send a timely warning, give people more time to take emergency actions, and minimize the number of victims.

4. The broadcast alert allows the Bazil government to disseminate messages within a particular radius. Therefore, only those affected by the extreme event will get the emergency alert.

5. This alert system is flexible. It can disseminate warnings to 3G, 4G, and 5G smartphones. Moreover, it is compatible with all operators in Brazil.

Brazil Emergency Alert System has taken a new step in disseminating warnings. The new alert method is the cell broadcast, which is highly efficient and effective for distributing alerts. To send a cell broadcast alert, authorities can purchase cell broadcasters on smsbroadcaster.com.