Ribeirão Preto estimates that the cost of rebuilding after a severe windstorm has exceeded R$50 million. Three months after winds of up to 160 km/h hit the city in São Paulo state, the municipal government says it is still waiting for state and federal funds for major repairs at the Municipal and Arena theaters, the Centro Pop and Professor Nagib Jorge municipal school.

Since late July, the city has received R$11.5 million. At least R$8.5 million has gone toward emergency work, including clearing roads, removing fallen trees and carrying out targeted repairs at health clinics and schools. The funding included R$2.48 million through an agreement with the state Civil Defense and R$6 million returned to the municipal budget by the city council.

The storm’s broader costs include increased spending to collect and transport branches and trunks. In the 90 days after the event, municipal crews removed 9,976 truckloads of green waste—more than eight times the city’s usual monthly average of 1,200. A municipal survey recorded 3,000 fallen trees.

The storm also disrupted electricity for 285,000 customer units, knocked water-supply wells out of operation and damaged the roof of the city’s administrative center, with repairs estimated at R$180,000. The federal government provided R$1.2 million for health and social assistance, while private-sector donors contributed about R$1.5 million and took on the restoration of a basic health unit.

The city says it used existing contracts and price-registration agreements to speed up urgent repairs rather than sign new contracts specifically for the storm response. Of 24 municipal schools damaged by the wind, 23 have been repaired. Professor Nagib Jorge school remains closed after a large tree fell on it, causing extensive damage.

The Municipal and Arena theaters remain closed, with projects registered with the federal government awaiting funding. The Centro Pop’s building was also damaged; its services have temporarily moved to the Center for the Elderly on Avenida Saudade. Repairs to parks and public squares, including replanting and landscaping, require a new urban-maintenance contract, with bids scheduled for November.

The municipal government has not set completion dates for the larger works, saying they depend on the release of funds by state and federal authorities. Other money not yet spent is reserved for specific social-assistance projects, including vehicles, work tools and direct support for affected families.

Sources: G1.