On September 3rd, Porto Alegre officially presented the Disaster Contingency Plan (PLACON), one of the main deliverables of the Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Plan (PPMD), developed in partnership between ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, the Porto Alegre City Hall, and the Municipal Civil Defense.

The launch was attended by representatives from the City Hall, Civil Defense, and ICLEI South America. The program included:

• Institutional speeches by Germano Bremm (Secretary of the Environment, Urban Planning and Sustainability), Rodrigo Corradi (Deputy Secretary of ICLEI South America and Director of ICLEI Brazil) and other authorities;
• Presentation of PLACON with details of its participatory development, guidelines, and priority actions;
• Final considerations and next steps with the participation of Mayor Sebastião Melo and Colonel Evaldo Rodrigues, from the Civil Defense of Porto Alegre.

PLACON was developed in a participatory manner, involving municipal secretariats, technical bodies, partner institutions, and civil society. The plan guides the actions of public authorities before, during, and after extreme weather events, defining activation, communication, and response protocols for risks such as floods, heat waves, storms, and landslides.

“The plan was developed in an integrated manner, involving different areas of public power and society, to ensure a faster and more efficient response to emergencies. More than a technical instrument, the plan is a guide for organization and cooperation between institutions. Its importance lies in preparing the city to reduce damage and save lives, while at the same time expanding the engagement of the entire civil protection and defense system, consolidating a culture of prevention and resilience,” highlighted Keila Ferreira, Coordinator of Low Carbon and Resilience at ICLEI Brazil.

Integrated with existing policies, such as the Local Climate Action Plan (PLAC), PLACON is aligned with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the international MCR2030 (Making Cities Resilient) movement. It will serve as the basis for the completion of the PPMD, which will bring together short, medium and long-term actions to strengthen Porto Alegre's urban resilience in the face of the climate crisis.

ICLEI acted as a technical partner to the Porto Alegre City Hall, offering specialized methodology, intersectoral coordination, and technical support for the participatory development of the plan. This partnership is part of ICLEI's strategy to support Brazilian cities in implementing robust climate policies, aligned with global commitments and aimed at reducing risks and strengthening urban resilience.