{"id":73958,"date":"2023-02-17T18:27:56","date_gmt":"2023-02-17T21:27:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=73958"},"modified":"2023-03-26T19:10:15","modified_gmt":"2023-03-26T22:10:15","slug":"environmental-racism-laid-bare-in-sao-goncalo-as-alcantara-public-school-closed-indefinitely-after-repeated-february-floods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=73958","title":{"rendered":"Environmental Racism Laid Bare in S\u00e3o Gon\u00e7alo as Alc\u00e2ntara Public School Closed Indefinitely After Repeated February Floods"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mud-stained wall at the Pandi\u00e1 Cal\u00f3geras State School from flooding that occurred on February 7, 2023. Photo: Christian Ferreira<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/a><\/h4>\n

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This is our latest article in<\/em>\u00a0a\u00a0series<\/a>\u00a0created in partnership with the\u00a0Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies<\/a>\u00a0at San Diego State University, to produce articles for the\u00a0Digital Brazil Project<\/a>\u00a0on water issues and the LGBTQIAP+ population in Rio\u2019s favelas and in the Baixada Fluminense\u00a0<\/em>for RioOnWatch.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the week between February 7 and 13, the Pandi\u00e1 Cal\u00f3geras State School<\/a> in the Alc\u00e2ntara<\/a> neighborhood of S\u00e3o Gon\u00e7alo<\/a> in the Greater Rio metropolitan region<\/a> flooded three times due to heavy rainfall. On Tuesday, February 7<\/a>, the ground floor was completely submerged causing significant losses to the school. The building was once again flooded during the storm on Saturday, February 11<\/a>, as a neighboring stream overflowed and tore down a wall separating it from the school. As a result, the school has been indefinitely shut down by the Civil Defense<\/a>, according to the State Education Secretariat (Seeduc<\/a>) in a statement issued in response to a request for this article. Two days later, the storm on Monday, February 13<\/a> meant S\u00e3o Gon\u00e7alo was hit by an extreme weather event for a third time, facing yet again the consequences of the lack of infrastructure and preparedness to handle such weather conditions. Once again, the Pandi\u00e1 Cal\u00f3geras school flooded.<\/p>\n

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The wall of the Pandi\u00e1 State School collapsed with the force of rainwater on February 11. The school mirrors the situation in the city, which has suffered flooding in early February 2023. Photo: Amanda Ares<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The academic year for the Pandi\u00e1 Cal\u00f3geras State School’s students was originally scheduled to begin on February 6<\/a>, in line with the State Education Network’s calendar. However, due to the trail of destruction left in the school after February 7, it became impossible to resume classes on the week of February 6. Despite the concerted efforts of school employees and Seeduc, who provided emergency assistance and carried out thorough cleaning, classes could not resume the following Monday as anticipated due to heavy rainfall on February 11 and 13. As a result, there’s currently no forecast for when the school’s academic year can begin.<\/p>\n

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A muddy hallway at the Pandi\u00e1 Cal\u00f3geras State School. Photo: Christian Ferreira<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During the storm on Tuesday, February 7\u2014which hit the entire Metropolitan Region<\/a>\u2014S\u00e3o Gon\u00e7alo recorded the greatest amount of rainfall<\/a> in the state of Rio: 199mm in 24 hours, 44mm in Alc\u00e2ntara alone where the school’s located. Due to the substantial amount of rainfall and government neglect, the stream adjacent to Pandi\u00e1 Cal\u00f3geras State School overflowed, resulting in the ground floor of the school being completely submerged and causing thousands of reais<\/em> worth of school supplies to be lost. The storm was so severe that it triggered nine landslide warning sirens in S\u00e3o Gon\u00e7alo, in the neighborhoods of Arsenal, Barro Vermelho, Covanca, Engenho Pequeno, Nova Gr\u00e9cia, Novo M\u00e9xico, Sete Pontes, Tenente Jardim, and Venda da Cruz.<\/p>\n