Short answer. Brazil's official sources describe no public blast or fallout shelter network. What exists are temporary shelters (abrigos provisórios) for people displaced by disasters: under Lei 12.608/2012, article 8, item VIII, each municipality must organise and run them 1. No national count is published. To find out where yours are, contact your municipal civil defence on 199 3.
Are there public bunkers in Brazil?
Not in official sources. We found no national programme for protective shelters against blasts, fallout or air attack, and no published count of such shelters. Brazilian civil protection is built around natural and technological disasters such as floods, landslides and dam failures, and its shelters are reception sites, not protective structures.
What are "abrigos provisórios"?
They are temporary shelters set up when people have to leave their homes after a disaster. The National Policy for Protection and Civil Defence gives municipalities the duty to "organizar e administrar abrigos provisórios para assistência à população em situação de desastre, em condições adequadas de higiene e segurança": organise and run temporary shelters for people affected by a disaster, in adequate conditions of hygiene and safety 1.
Because they are a municipal responsibility, locations change from one city to another and are set out in municipal contingency plans. Brazil publishes no national figure for how many exist.
How do you find your nearest shelter?
- Call 199, the Civil Defence number 3, or contact your municipal civil defence office.
- Read your municipality's contingency plan, which designates temporary shelters for local hazards.
- Pick your own meeting place. São Paulo's family emergency plan asks families to choose a safe place to meet, such as a library, community centre, church or a relative's home 2.
During an event, follow civil defence alerts; see our Brazil alerts page.
What should you do if there is no shelter nearby?
Plan for two cases: leaving quickly, and staying at home. For leaving, keep a grab kit ready; São Paulo asks for three days of water and non-perishable food 2 (see our Brazil emergency supplies page). For staying, our guide on whether to shelter in place or evacuate explains how authorities decide, and our fallout 7-10 rule guide explains why time indoors matters after a nuclear release.
Frequently asked questions
Does Brazil have nuclear shelters?
Official sources describe none for the public. Around the Angra nuclear plant, emergency planning relies on sirens, planning zones and potassium iodide; see our Brazil iodine page.
Who runs disaster shelters in Brazil?
Municipalities. Lei 12.608/2012 makes them responsible for organising and running temporary shelters 1.
Can I build my own shelter?
Brazil has no shelter-specific law; ordinary municipal building rules apply. See our Brazil build-a-shelter page.
Sources
- Presidência da República (Planalto) — Lei nº 12.608, de 10 de abril de 2012 (Política Nacional de Proteção e Defesa Civil) — https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2011-2014/2012/lei/l12608.htm (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Defesa Civil do Estado de São Paulo — Plano familiar de emergência - SP Sempre Alerta — https://www.spsemprealerta.sp.gov.br/orientacoes/plano-familiar-de-emergencia/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Defesa Civil do Estado de São Paulo — SP Sempre Alerta — https://www.spsemprealerta.sp.gov.br/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
Turn this into action
Your plan for Brazil, worked out for your household.
- Water, food and equipment counted for each person and pet
- The nuclear plants and zones around your home
- Phaenyx Safe: one tap to tell your people you are safe
Sources
- Presidência da República (Planalto) · Lei nº 12.608, de 10 de abril de 2012 (Política Nacional de Proteção e Defesa Civil) checked 2026-10-20
- Defesa Civil do Estado de São Paulo · Plano familiar de emergência - SP Sempre Alerta checked 2026-10-20
- Defesa Civil do Estado de São Paulo · SP Sempre Alerta checked 2026-10-20