Rapid Site Report: Flooding Damage to Cultural Heritage Sites in Porto Alegre, Brazil

Between April 2024 and May 2024, flooding due to unprecedented rainfall caused damage in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Based on analysis of currently available satellite imagery, four cultural heritage sites in Porto Alegre, Brazil, were confirmed as damaged in these floods. These sites include the Museu Antropológico do Rio Grande do Sul, Museu de Direitos Humanos do Mercosul, Museu do Trabalho, and Rio Grande do Sul Museum of Art. Satellite imagery of the sites shows damage first occurring between 29 April 2024 and 8 May 2024. Analysis conducted by the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative (SCRI), in collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab at the Virginia Museum of Natural History (CHML) and Penn Cultural Heritage Center at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (PennCHC), confirmed this damage. This review was undertaken following initial reports of flooding in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Please Download PDF for Full Report and Images

CITE THIS REPORT: Bender, T.J.P., Hanson, K., Muller, C.E., Kane, K.E., Rashkovan, S., Lawrence-Weilmann, J., Averyt, K., Gunter-Bassett, M., Welsh, W., Fitzgerald, K., Bassett, H., Daniels, B.I., and Wegener, C. (2024). "Rapid Site Report: Flooding Damage to Cultural Heritage Sites in Porto Alegre, Brazil,” Virginia Museum of Natural History, Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab; University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Penn Cultural Heritage Center; and Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative. DOI: 10.25573/data.25992274.