Disasters, Risck Management, Disability and Inclusive Rescue

Extreme climate events are becoming increasingly frequent and disproportionately affect Persons with Disabilities (PwD), who number about 14.4 million in Brazil (IBGE Census, 2022). The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/ WHO) warns that PwD are up to four times more likely to lose their lives in emergency situations. Between 2020 and 2023, Brazil recorded an annual average of 4,077 climate-related disasters—almost double the number registered over the previous two decades. In 2024, floods in Rio Grande do Sul caused 169 deaths and displaced 600,000 people, a scenario that repeated itself in 2025, although on a smaller scale. The combination of lack of accessibility, socioeconomic vulnerability, and disasters hits hardest populations living in peripheral areas, riverine communities, quilombolas, and Indigenous peoples—many of whom also live with disabilities. Brazil has robust legislation, such as Decree 6.949/2009, which incorporated the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into national law with constitutional status, ensuring priority in rescue situations. However, there is still a lack of specific and updated protocols to ensure that this right is effectively implemented. It is also necessary to guarantee the right to participate in disaster risk management. The invisibility of this group prevents their needs from being considered in prevention, mitigation, and response actions, as well as in post-disaster recovery efforts. We need to talk about this. #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #LeaveNoOneBehind