Rio Acre Edges Down After Rare December Floods as Hundreds Shelter Under State Emergency

Overview

• The river measured 15.35 m at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Rio Branco, a 6 cm drop from Monday night’s 15.41 m, which officials described as a modest fall that still warrants continuous monitoring.
• Authorities report 153 families, or 443 people, housed in seven shelters in the capital, with hundreds more staying with relatives after evacuations.
• The state decreed a 180‑day emergency for Rio Branco, Feijó, Plácido de Castro, Santa Rosa do Purus and Tarauacá, a step that still requires federal recognition to unlock additional resources.
• More than 20,000 people in Rio Branco have been affected, with officials citing 483 mm of rain in December, roughly 97% above the monthly average.
• Interior municipalities recorded river overflows and damage, including Feijó’s Envira River above flood stage with early recession and major losses to indigenous banana crops, while Santa Rosa do Purus, Plácido de Castro, Tarauacá, Brasiléia and Xapuri remained under alert or close monitoring.