areas without flooding problems in santa catarina.

02/21/23 @Owen TODAN.  Santa Catarina has 295 municípios and 13 cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants.  Any idea where you might want to live?

Real simple.

Avoid areas that are within  River Basins. 

A Few years back, Blumenau was hit hard by river overflow due to a summer rainstorm.

Also, you must inspect curbside drain points. 

Don't expect to fall into broker's palaver.  Do your own homework. 

Elevated areas tend to be the most affluent, and that's where you would want to be.  Regardless of your budget.

And make sure to see places that are in a plain level. Avoid bottom of the road places/plots.   

A tell tale, is if you see homes that have an elevated step by the front gate.  That tells you to avoid anything around.

Also, make sure you see about your building reinforcement. People here tend to overlook soil engineering all too often.

Also, make sure you see about your building reinforcement. People here tend to overlook soil engineering all too often.

I meant to say... Buildings that have no basement or foundation, and are built atop of compacted soil.

I've seen my fair share of such buildings to crumble, when rain is severe.

For all who might care.. If you seen the news, Sao Sebastiao, a seaside getaway town, and also an oil tanker terminal port for Petrobras.   

Unsuspecting buyers were acquiring plots to build their homes, with a hill backdrop against a beachfront.

Here's what might gone wrong...

1.If the hill vegetation and tree cover is depleted from it's original state, that is a landslide waiting to happen.The hill root system actually prevents  landslides.  A few  years back, Cubatao and Pedro Taques, in the backdrop against the Serra do Mar Mountains,  became exposed. Air pollution from Cubatao stacks were killing the mountain's exposed green coverage. They had to mandate filters to smokestacks to avoid a disaster.

2.Landfills on marshland rob the soil from its ability to absorb rainfall. Same as you see in Miami. Water floods. If the marshland ( Pantano, Mangue, Brejo ) is erased, then you have no defense against heavy rainfall.

3.Overdevelopment in coastal communities without adequate rainfall outflow.  Santos has the channels that run through the city's residential neighborhoods and rainfall  is  lead to the shoreliine. Actually the various subdivisions are marked by their own channel.  Sao Sebastiao does not have it

This goes to all you day dreaming beachcombers. 

River beds are also a problem. Sometimes the bottom of the river becomes way too sedmented, that only dredging can prevent overflows.  Since you don't know if improvements were made, better to avoid lowlands and river basin areas altogether.

@sprealestatebroker Do you think the really nice homes In florianopolis 10 million Reals and up overlooking the beaches from the hillside / mountains face the same flood / landslide risk? Does the price for a home in Brazil for the most part usually equal quality or not necessarily? I’ve heard a lot of stories about builders going around “the red tape” when it comes to safety but I’m not sure if this changes when more expensive homes are involved.

I’m going to assume you could hire a land / construction engineer to inspect the property as well when it comes to safety.

It feels like this year has been a really bad year when it comes to floods and landslides in the South. For the last couple of months that’s all I hear them talk about on Jovem Pan and Globo.

hey.  it could be worse.  be thankful you don't own in East Palestine.

@sprealestatebroker Do you think the really nice homes In florianopolis 10 million Reals and up overlooking the beaches from the hillside / mountains face the same flood / landslide risk? Does the price for a home in Brazil for the most part usually equal quality or not necessarily? I’ve heard a lot of stories about builders going around “the red tape” when it comes to safety but I’m not sure if this changes when more expensive homes are involved.
I’m going to assume you could hire a land / construction engineer to inspect the property as well when it comes to safety.
It feels like this year has been a really bad year when it comes to floods and landslides in the South. For the last couple of months that’s all I hear them talk about on Jovem Pan and Globo.
-@john8670

You have to use due diligence.  Most of these "developers", and people who buy large tracks of land and subdivided into parcels fall under that category, will not bother to actually do soil engineering and environmental impact studies.

Either you know the subject, or get an Engineer to actually evaluate the site and write a report to you.  Property is a big investment. Don't be a chump.

Landslides and floods are common in Brazil during rainy season.  And most of these seaside communities where once dwellings for  artisan fishermen settlements who had  no title of deed over the land they settled.

Because being waterfront and the idyllic appeal, chances are,  some smart carpetbagger got around to appropriate and buy the land, at best managing to bring electricity and water lines, seldom ever running sewer lines.   And then sold into parcel lots.  All with the complicity of City Hall.

Santos, for as crass it may be, at least you can go there and see how they manage to allow for rainfall flow at the street grid . It never floods, nor has any issues of landslides ( which you must verify by going through the archives of the local Daily, Tribuna de Santos ). 

The Santos shoreline, short of the port, is sliced into sections along the coastline,  divided by canals.  As far as I would know, your sewer could be discharged into high sea ( which if is so, you would have to find if the city has a sewage treatment plan to treat discharges ) . But at the very least, no floods that I know, nor landslides. The channels act as ground water, rainfall water conduits.

Out of on your neck of the woods, go to the largest city in the State, with an established Daily Newspaper, and make a point to visit  and comb their archives. Also, talk to the folks at the Water & Sewer Authority.  If you don't master the language, pay someone to go along with you.

Issues like this have happened in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Santa Catarina, as far as my memory goes.   

Personally, IMHO, building homes by the coast is environmentally criminal. but to each its own.  You want to have it , at the very least you must do your own homework.   

@sprealestatebroker Thanks for the info I feel a lot more informed on the topic now. I will do a deep dive into potential properties before I make any purchases in the future.

Here's some photos I've done a few years back.....  Listing, btw is rented.   

I shot the building, the unit, and the corner where the building sits. 

Rua Almirante Cochrane,39 - Embaré, Santos -SP 11040-001

https://photos.app.goo.gl/HuTdj8TmoEesWtqL6

Photos #2, 10,11.  Notice the Channel. They've been there for ages.   

In coastal communities where you do not have a mesh of water galeries, you need those.   They allow for rain water runoff.

Also, on the account of landslides.  The wall built by as condominium that separates my backyard to the condo complex gave up under heavy rainfall.

My lot is sloped from the curbside to the backyard. When my late father contracted to build the house, he put considerable efforts to reinforce the land. So the rear edge was wedged with large stone  pieces and mortar.

There was a patch of buffered land, between my backyard and the complex.  They decided to buy the stretch of land , and erected a dividing wall against mine. 

Our wall, was reinforced and had slots to allow the outflow of rain water.  We had experienced floors, so when our back wall toppled, this before the condo complex was erected. we managed to make it stronger. 

The city clerk had told us, that our rear perimeter and right side perimeter would be a buffer area to allow the flow of water. 

In 2020, their side of the dividing wall gave in.   They had not enough insurance coverage, so then, the condo association sued us, and my two door over neighbor. who runs a kitchen millright showroom. They figured we had money, and the members would not want to expend the extra dime to get it done right.

So, I paid an attorney to file a rebufal, but in typical Brazilian Fashion, all the leg work I done it.  My wall was intact, despite the water column that trapped at my backyard.   

I took photos, pulled examples, wrote the arguments, drew diagrams.  About a 60 page report. My side neighbor got legal help, and paid an Engineer to produce a report.

The condo wall, despite the uneven terrain, and the circumstance, had barely any reinforcement.

I also proved that our curbside rainfall drain was severely undersized.

And by the way. my curbside neighbor, his backyard came apart. Both his and mine are well above the ground floor level at the condo complex.  His, upon coming undone, showed packed clay, and nothing else. If weren't for some tree roots, half of his building might as well slide backwards.

My report tilted the judgement in our favor and against the condo association.   Three years past, and their kids can't play the court.   The elected condo association leader, loss his job, beat his wife. A complete idiot, if you ask me.   

Point being made....

This is not a seaside community, nor we are close to a River basin.  This is actually highlands, in an upper middle class hamlet.   

The point being is, i can't stress enough the importance to investigate what you are getting, not just from the property itself, we are talking the surrounding area.   

You need to be thorough, specially in Brazil, in looking at

The street curbsides.

Going to newspaper archives to collect past reportings.

Talking to neighbors to get the straight dope.

Looking at the land topology.

Checking for reinforcements.

Looking after tell tale signs.   

Checking with City Hall for building codes, easements, recess. 

Real Estate Brokers in Brazil, they won't do anything if stands in the way to hinder a sale.   Legally they could be sued for omitting material facts, but they can get away with a lot here.  Besides, law of the agency, in Brazil, or fair housing laws, totally non existent. 

@sprealestatebroker you are the MAN!!!!!

Wow...I was just researching some flood areas for future knowledge. Experiences in a neighborhood my brother lived in raised my antennas about possible flooding.