Castro Teams Ready in Response to Severe Weather Alert

Although Castro dawned with sunny weather on Friday (11), warnings remain in force for the occurrence of severe weather events over the course of the day, with the possibility of intense rain, strong wind gusts, electric shocks and hail. Faced with the foreseen scenario, the City of Castro keeps its teams in readiness and guides the population to stay at home whenever possible, avoiding unnecessary travel and risky situations.

Classes and school transport

One of the measures already announced was the suspension, on Friday (11), of the classrooms of the municipal education network and of the school transport under the responsibility of the Municipality, including the lines that serve students of the state network.

The preventive measure reaches 25 municipal schools, six of which are rural schools, and 14 educação infantil municipal centers, which together serve 8,467 students. The municipal school transport serves 3,946 students, of which 201 students from the CMEIs, 1,578 from the municipal network and 2,167 from the state network.

The suspension takes special account of the risks related to travel, especially in rural areas. The Defesa Civil Municipal continues to monitor the weather conditions and may issue new guidelines as the scenario evolves.

“The suspension was a measure taken on the basis of the official warnings available and the risk anticipated for today. Even with the quietest morning, the alerts remain in effect for the course of the day,” explains Defesa Civil Municipal coordinator, Edmir Kirchof.

It reinforces that the Defesa Civil Municipal continues to monitor the weather conditions and is prepared to act in eventual occurrences. In case of emergency, the population can activate the Municipal Guard by phone 153 or the Fire Department by 193.

For situations involving the electrical network, such as loose wires or broken cables, the orientation is not to approach and activate the Copel by WhatsApp (41) 3013-8973 or by phone 0800 51 00 116. It is also possible to communicate occurrences through the application and through the company’s digital channels.

Defesa Civil strengthened

The Municipal Secretary of Government, Ricardo Cardoso Filho, a member of Defesa Civil Municipal, highlights that preventive action in the face of this Friday's alert is also the result of the process of strengthening the structure of Protection and Defesa Civil of Castro. “The municipality has a municipal coordination of protection and Defesa Civil (COMPDEC) formally structured, with municipal servers designated to act in the area and integration with other secretariats, allowing a joint response in emergency situations,” he points out.

Castro also has an updated Contingency Plan and uses the official systems of Defesa Civil State to monitor weather conditions and receive alerts. The information is reinforced to the population by the communication channels of the City Hall and by the official alert systems, including the sending of messages by SMS.

The municipality has also been investing in the training and preparation of the servers who work in the area, with training aimed at prevention, risk management and response to emergency situations. The preparation also considers the scenarios of extreme weather events foreseen for the period.

This week, Castro carried out an integrated contingency plan simulation, bringing together different sectors and teams to test procedures, protocols of care and the capacity of the municipality to respond to an emergency situation. The activity is part of the prevention and preparation actions developed by the City Hall.

Suspension of the 4x4 route

Due to the forecast of severe weather events, the Route 4x4 of the 27 Chapels was also suspended, which would start on Friday (11). The inauguration of the totem and the commemorative plaque of the 4x4 Route of the Parish Nossa Senhora of the Rosary, which was scheduled for today, at 7 pm, in the Square of the Church of the Rosary, was also suspended. A new date for the realization of the Route and for the inauguration of the totem will be disclosed later by the organization.

Preventing

The City Council reinforces that the measures adopted are preventive and prioritize the safety of the population. The guidance is to follow the official information channels, avoid displacements during periods of storms and keep distance from trees, structures that may present a risk and, especially, from fallen electrical wires.

In case of emergency, the phones are:

Municipal Guard: 153

Firefighters: 193

Copel: 0800 51 00 116

WhatsApp Copel: (41) 3013-8973

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