The Civil Defense of São Paulo issued an alert to the entire population about the cold front that hits the state this Tuesday (17). According to data from the Emergency Management Center, the expected minimums may reach 1º C in Serra da Mantiqueira. The cold wave is caused by an air mass of polar origin.
In the capital, the temperature can reach 6º C, the lowest temperature for May since 1990. Inland, the Civil Defense draws attention to the northern region, with a minimum forecast of 3º C for Ribeirão Preto and 5º C for São José do Rio Preto. On the south coast, the minimum should be 10º C, with winds of up to 75 km/h, which increases the feeling of cold.
The state government recommends that municipal civil defenses reinforce the dissemination of alert information so that self-protection measures are adopted. Another government guideline is that the cases of the most vulnerable people, such as the homeless population, be monitored especially.
Among the risks arising from the cold are hypothermia, drop in relative humidity, with reduced rainfall and the possibility of diseases of the respiratory system. Children and the elderly also need special attention, who must be kept warm, given that they are more susceptible to these diseases aggravated by cold weather.
The alert from the state Civil Defense also recommends avoiding closed places and large circulation of people so as not to contract diseases such as flu, cold, pneumonia and meningitis, more frequent in this period. It is also necessary to maintain frequent hand hygiene.
For those interested in donating coats and blankets, there are collection points at the subway and train stations and at the bus terminals of the Metropolitan Company of Urban Transport and Poupatempo units.
The Alert SP application, available free of charge for download in stores for Android and IOS systems, it offers information on what to do in this period of low temperatures and also on other types of disasters.
Low temperatures
The city hall of São Paulo prepares a special scheme for the days of intense cold, with the expansion of care services and food security for the homeless population. Ten tents will be set up in all regions of the city and spaces in the social assistance network will be increased and transport (round trip) to the reception centers will be expanded. The number of teams of health and social agents will increase, as will the distribution of soup and blankets.
Low Temperature Operation will be intensified whenever the temperature drops below 13º C.
The Secretariat of Assistance and Social Development provides 15,116 places for overnight stays and 2,138 in hotels in the regular host network. For the period of low temperatures, 2,000 more vacancies will be created and 56 socio-educational counselors will be hired to carry out the social approach. These will join the 100 professionals who already do this work. According to the city hall, places with kennels will also be created in the reception centers and cages for the transport of animals will be acquired.
There will be tents at Praça Presidente Getúlio Vargas, in Guaianases; on Avenida Jacu Pêssego, in Itaquera; at Praça Heróis da FEB, in Santana; at Praça Novo Mundo, in Vila Maria; at Praça Floriano Peixoto, in Santo Amaro; at Praça Escolar, in Capela do Socorro; in Praça Miguel Dell’Erba, in Lapa; Praça da Sé; and in the squares Marechal Deodoro, in Santa Cecília, and Padre Bento, in Brás. The structures will be assembled when temperatures drop below 10º C.
According to a balance released this Sunday (15) by the city of São Paulo, 2,602 people were referred for reception in the social assistance network since the dawn of the 5th of this month, and there were 2,840 calls. Between 8:30 pm on Saturday (14) and 10 am on Sunday, 331 people were welcomed and 215 blankets were distributed.
