Podcast 🎧 & blog: Digital against the tide: Tech and policy through the climate crisis
By Federico Plantera
When catastrophic floods struck Brazil’s state of Rio Grande do Sul in May 2024, the devastation was swift and far-reaching. Nearly 200 lives were lost, hundreds of thousands were displaced, and critical infrastructure – from roads to water systems – was brought to a standstill. But in the eye of the storm, something else emerged: a remarkable story of how digital governance can respond to the climate crisis.
In this podcast episode, we feature Gabriel Souza, Vice Governor of Rio Grande do Sul, who recounts how the regional government responded with digital adaptation, coordinated leadership, and institutional learning in the face of unprecedented crisis.
“We really innovated a lot,” he notes, reflecting on the urgency and innovation that emerged from the chaos. “We created a myriad of tools that are now part of the legacy of the crisis,” resulting as they do from on-the-ground creativity under pressure. A vivid example of how data, public trust, and agile governance structures can converge in a time of disaster to deliver solutions and reshape the future.
The First 48 Hours, Between Shock and ActionÂ
The floodwaters arrived quickly, but their aftermath presented a longer, more complex test: how to sustain operations, protect lives, and manage information during a prolonged emergency. Vice Governor Souza was deployed to one of the worst-affected areas, tasked with leading state-level response efforts from within the crisis zone.
“I lived the consequences of the crisis directly. I was there for fifteen days coordinating government efforts on the ground. Crisis management cannot happen from behind a desk, you need to be where the people are,” he recalls.
And from the outset, digital tools played a critical role. Coordination of helicopters, boats, and personnel had to be tracked and prioritised. At the same time, systems were established to log displaced individuals, identify critical needs, and prevent the breakdown of essential services. The number of spontaneous volunteers and donations quickly overwhelmed available capacity.
“We developed a check-in system to register volunteers in real time. That way, we could direct them to places where help was still missing, and avoid duplication or overcrowding,” Souza describes.
Meanwhile, private logistics companies were brought in to help digitise supply chain management. State officials adapted inventory software overnight to accommodate the storage and delivery of donated goods – an ad hoc network of logistics that functioned as both warehouse and dispatcher.
When Crisis Hits. What Technology Can DoÂ
As the scale of the crisis expanded, so too did the demands on digital coordination. Technology proved key not only for managing resources but also for sustaining public trust and making informed decisions under intense pressure.
Souza recounts how quickly the team had to move. “We built digital systems to track our warehouses, trucks, inventory, and more importantly, to understand exactly what each town needed. That information allowed us to make fast, targeted decisions.”
Then, communication with the public was another pillar. The government published daily bulletins across multiple media and updated an open-access website that listed exactly which items were in demand. Transparency in practice and at work helped channel public generosity into meaningful support.
“We didn’t just ask for donations, but told people instead exactly what was missing, and where,” Souza explains. “That made the whole process more efficient and allowed us to avoid waste.”
Combatting misinformation became another critical task. And to that end, the administration created a dedicated unit to monitor social media, respond to rumours, and issue corrections. “Misinformation during a crisis can spread panic or distort people’s behaviour,” Souza warns. “So having a team focused on maintaining accurate information flow was essential.”
From Emergency to Strategy: Tools Worth KeepingÂ
And after the floods, what remains? Lessons, that went far beyond disaster response. As Souza makes clear, indeed, the crisis served as a powerful accelerator of digital transformation across the state administration.
One of the most striking innovations was the use of geospatial and socioeconomic data to automate aid distribution. Satellite images of affected areas were cross-referenced with national poverty registries to identify eligible beneficiaries.
“We didn’t need people to fill out forms or prove their losses,” Souza explains. “We already had the data. And within fifteen days, we deposited financial aid directly into their accounts. It was faster than the federal government, and in the end, more sensible and humane.”
This model is now being scaled to address long-term needs in housing and social policy. Systems originally built under pressure are evolving into permanent digital infrastructure. A shift worth reflecting on: “What we did during the emergency showed us that resilience and innovation are mutually reinforcing,” Souza states.
The experience has left a clear imprint on the state’s digital agenda. New initiatives now embed flexibility, rapid deployment, and cross-sector coordination as standard practice. A crisis is still a moment of distress and emergency. Still, it has contributed to reframing how Rio Grande do Sul thinks about governance. Forget about the slow machine; think of it, instead, as a responsive system that must adapt to an age of climate volatility.
The podcast was recorded at the e-Governance Conference 2025 held in Tallinn, Estonia. Don’t miss Gabriel Souza‘s Showcase “Rio Grande do Sul: The role of technology in emergency public management” where he offers an in-depth look at how digital tools are transforming crisis response and governance.
