Sediment-related Disasters in Petrópolis, Brazil, on February 15 and March 20, 2022

Abstract

The municipality of Petrópolis was hit by heavy rains on February 15 and March 20, 2022 resulting sediment-related disasters. The disaster on February 15, 2022 was caused by heavy rain 253 mm which fell in 3 hours, resulting in 238 fatalities. The disaster on March 20, 2022 was caused by 548 mm/24hr of rainfall which lasted longer than that of February 15, 2022, resulting in seven fatalities. These heavy rains triggered more than 370 landslides, making it the worst disaster ever recorded in the municipality. This report provides an overview of the disaster and the characteristics of four of these more than 370 landslides as examples.