The INcluir Project, a non-governmental organization in Petrópolis, has signed a technical cooperation agreement with OceanPact, the municipal government of Petrópolis and the Rio de Janeiro State Environment and Sustainability Secretariat. The agreement, signed by OceanPact’s innovation director, Arthur Kós, is for a new app that will facilitate the inclusive rescue of people with disabilities and reduced mobility, and those who are bedridden, during disaster situations. The initiative was made official during the second INcluir Festival, held on September 23 at Petrópolis’ Crystal Palace.

Called “Inclusive Alert P2R3 IN” (the initials being an abbreviation of “Prevention, Preparedness and Response, Rapid Rescue of People with Disabilities, Limited Mobility and Bedridden Individuals”), the app is being developed by OceanPact’s Innovation Department. It will allow citizens, family members or caregivers to register their location and specific needs. This information will be used by rescue teams, who will have access to georeferenced data cross-referenced with high-risk areas, weather forecasts and evacuation routes. The pilot project will be implemented in Petrópolis and later in other municipalities in the state of Rio de Janeiro, especially in regions vulnerable to floods and landslides.

The app was conceived by Chen Li Cheng, OceanPact operations manager and founder of the INcluir Project. Diagnosed in 2017 with a rare disorder called familial amyloid polyneuropathy, Chen says the tool was born out of a practical concern. “In disaster situations, people with disabilities are two to four times more likely to die due to a lack of adequate rescue efforts. Our goal is to highlight those most in need, so that first responders know in advance where these people are and to which support point they should be taken,” he explains.

The Rio de Janeiro state government’s sustainability superintendent, Irlaine Alvarenga, made a technical visit to OceanPact’s head office, together with representatives of UN-Habitat, to see a prototype of the app. On August 28, Chen presented the tool at the Second Annual Seminar of the Brazilian Association of Emergency Control Specialists, in São Paulo, during a panel discussion called “Emergency Planning and Governance.”