The toll of floods and landslides in Brazil is increasing. According to the latest report from the authorities, the bad weather would have caused the death of at least 40 people in the state of Sao Paulo, in the south-east of the country. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva flew over the disaster area on Monday. “It is important to work together (…) We must pray for the victims, but also that it stops raining so that we can start the reconstruction”, declared the Head of State, in conference of press.
The National Meteorological Institute has issued an alert for further heavy rains in the region for the next few days.
In Sao Sebastiao, a coastal city located 200 km from Sao Paulo, the economic capital of Brazil, around fifty houses were swept away by a landslide. It is in this town of around 90,000 inhabitants that 39 of the 40 confirmed deaths have been recorded, according to the latest official report late Monday afternoon, a figure which could increase soon. “About 40 people have still not been found,” Michelle Cesar, head of the Sao Paulo fire department, told CNN Brazil.
Another death, that of a little girl, was recorded further north, in the coastal town of Ubatuba.
“I don’t know what to do, I lost everything. Luckily I was able to leave the house in time with the children, but everything was covered in mud, we couldn’t save anything,” Patricia da Silva, housekeeper, told Agence France-Presse (AFP). who had to be hosted by friends with her two daughters aged 15 and 9. “We don’t know where to go, the house is completely destroyed,” laments the 31-year-old.
Some 1,730 people were evacuated and 766 were left homeless, according to the authorities, who deployed 500 rescuers, soldiers and police to participate in the search and help the victims. A state of emergency has been declared in five coastal towns where landslides have engulfed major road networks, making access to the region difficult.
In 24 hours, 600 mm of rain was recorded in Sao Sebastiao, twice the monthly average for this busy seaside city during this carnival weekend. “Exceptional” rainfall volumes that “have broken records,” said city mayor Felipe Augusto, describing an “extremely critical” situation.
“The whole reconstruction process will be very long, due to the damage on the roads. Neighborhoods are still isolated. The priority at the moment is to look for living people. All are mobilized to find survivors in the rubble, “added the city councilor during the press conference alongside Lula.
The leftist president advocated unity alongside one of his political adversaries, Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas. The latter is a former minister of far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, whom Lula, 77, beat to the wire in the October election.
“It is important to stop building houses in places where people are at risk of dying from heavy rains,” the head of state said.
Brazil’s National Natural Disaster Monitoring and Warning Center (Cemaden) estimates that 9.5 million people live in areas prone to landslides or floods, many of them in favelas – slums – with no structures basic sanitary facilities.
Brazil, which is suffering the effects of climate change, is plagued by repeated natural disasters, such as in February 2022 in Petropolis in the state of Rio de Janeiro, where more than 230 people died following heavy rains.
