Heavy rains in coastal areas of Brazil’s south-east have caused flooding and landslides that killed 36 people and displaced hundreds of others, São Paulo state authorities said on Sunday.
Rescue workers are searching for victims, reconnecting isolated communities and clearing blocked roads that trapped an unknown number of tourists who travelled to attend Carnival celebrations.
São Paulo state government said in a statement that 35 died in the city of São Sebastião and a seven-year-old girl was killed in neighbouring Ubatuba.
Weather forecasts showed heavy rains would continue in São Paulo’s coastal area, challenging civil defence and fire department rescue teams and raising the prospect of a higher death toll.
The SP-55 highway blocked by a landslide in the municipality of Ubatuba on the north coast of the state of São Paulo. Photograph: Ubatuba Civil Defense/AFP/Getty Images
The federal government mobilised several ministries to assist victims, restore infrastructure and…
2023-02-20 00:51:50
Source from www.theguardian.com
Dozens of people have died and many more have been left homeless in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, after days of heavy rains caused widespread flooding and landslides.
The President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, declared an emergency on Monday in 82 municipalities after at least 146 people were killed by the devastating floods, which began on Saturday. Civil defense officials in the Brasília region reported 13 deaths on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for Brazil’s Civil Defense agency said that 76,000 people had been forced to evacuate their homes and over 200,000 people had lost access to running water as a result of the severe weather.
The destruction has been described as “unprecedented,” as the heavy rains caused rivers to burst their banks and debris to surrounds some villages. In Altinópolis, for example, about 2,500 people were displaced after the arrival of the river.
The floods have not only destroyed many homes, but have washed away all the late season crops, causing destruction to property and livelihoods.
Local authorities, army personnel and volunteer workers have been working tirelessly to help those affected by the flooding, although the destruction caused by the floods is expected to put an immense strain on the resources of the Brazilian government.
The death toll is expected to continue to rise as the state of emergency affects an ever-increasing number of residents, and the clean-up operation will likely take weeks if not months.
The flooding in São Paulo is the latest in a series of weather-related disasters in Brazil, coming just weeks after similar tragedies in Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilian government will be hoping for clear skies soon, after a season of destructive and deadly weather.
