When the Doce River embraces the Island:

floods and the historical and territorial formation of the Ilha dos Araújos district in Governador Valadares (Minas Gerais, Brazil)

Abstract

Throughout the history of development of the Ilha dos Araújos (Araújo’s Island) district in the municipality of Governador Valadares (Minas Gerais, Brazil), the presence of flood reports in the memories of local residents are recollections that permeate the lives of these inhabitants. The district is one of the most affected by floods from the Rio Doce ant these hydric scenes have been repeating throughout its territorial configuration. The retrieval of memories addresses both the joy of living in an environment with a nice landscape and the suffering of those who experienced flood hazards. This article researches the memories and narratives of inhabitants dealing with the Rio Doce floods in Ilha dos Araújos, through an interdisciplinary approach. The main goal was here is to understand how social phenomena of neighborhood planning and building, along with Rio Doce flooding events, shaped the social and historical dimensions and territorial as well, of the district. For this analysis, a qualitative-quantitative methodology was used, with sources including the Diário do Rio Doce newspaper, Revista da Ilha, semi-structured interviews with 42 respondents, and some more in-depth interviews. The flood memories, going back to the 1940s, left indelible marks on the collective memory of residents, mainly the of 1979’ and 1985’ floods, which stood out for their magnitude and devastating consequences. The relationship between floods and territorial settlement reveals the vulnerability of the neighborhood and the need of a deep insight on urbanization policies and environmental management.