Brazil

Country: Brazil

• Country code: BR
• Official language: Portuguese
• Currency: Brazilian real (BRL)
• Capital: Brasília
• Time zones: several time zones, roughly UTC−02 to UTC−05
• Electricity: 127 V or 220 V / 60 Hz depending on the region, mainly plug type N; type C may fit in some places

Brazil is very large and infrastructure varies strongly by region. Major cities are usually well served, while rural areas, coastal regions, Amazon areas or places hit by severe storms may experience limited power, mobile service, internet, transport, water pumps, card payments, fuel stations, lifts and refrigeration.

Heavy rain, flooding, landslides, storms, heat and long distances can make a power cut more serious. Supplies, cash, offline contacts and local information are therefore especially important.

The most important emergency numbers in Brazil should be stored offline and also printed.

• 190: Polícia Militar / police emergency
• 192: SAMU / medical emergency service
• 193: fire and rescue service
• 199: Defesa Civil / civil defence
• 191: Federal Highway Police on federal roads

Use emergency numbers only for real emergencies. During a large-scale blackout, lines should not be blocked with general questions.

Brazil uses alerts from Defesa Civil. These include Defesa Civil Alerta via Cell Broadcast and additional channels such as SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, radio, television, local authorities and official websites.

• Defesa Civil Alerta: sends alerts directly to compatible mobile phones in affected risk areas.
• SMS 40199: in many regions a CEP can be sent by SMS to 40199 to receive Defesa Civil alerts.
• Radio: during a power cut, a battery, crank or car radio is important.
• Municipality / state: evacuations, shelters and meeting points are defined locally.

Preparedness in Brazil should be adapted to the region, climate, distance from the nearest town and rainy season. In remote or flooded areas, help can take longer to arrive.

• Store drinking water for everyone and plan ways to treat water.
• Keep durable food that does not rely on refrigeration and can be used without electricity.
• Keep medicines, first-aid supplies, insect repellent, hygiene items and personal documents ready.
• Prepare a battery or crank radio, torches, spare batteries, power banks and charging cables.
• Keep cash in small notes, as card payments, Pix, cash machines and tills may fail.
• Keep fridge and freezer doors closed and check food carefully after a long outage.
• Never use generators, barbecues or charcoal indoors because of fire and carbon monoxide risk.

For local power cuts, the first point of contact is the relevant electricity distributor or network operator. Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (ANEEL) is the national regulator and provides consumer information and complaint channels.

In severe weather, flooding, landslides or evacuations, local Defesa Civil, fire services, police and municipal authorities are the key references.

For Dominican citizens in Brazil, the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Brasília is the relevant official representation. Travellers should save important contacts offline before travelling.

Brazil does not have one nationwide set of blackout meeting points. Shelters, evacuation routes and assembly points are announced locally by Defesa Civil or local authorities depending on the state, municipality and event.

• Check in advance where the town hall, fire station, health post, school, church or other known local points are located.
• In flood and landslide areas, identify safe higher ground in advance.
• Agree on a family meeting point and a second fallback point if phone and internet fail.
• If evacuation is ordered, follow official instructions without delay.