Ilzete and her daughter Joelma hug in front of their flooded house, while the water is up to their hips. Since they saw no way to leave their house with all their belongings, they stored their mattresses a few meters under the roof and hung their clothes on lines. They did not expect the water to rise so high. In the eastern Brazilian state of Maranhao, floods broke out on Thursday, triggered by heavy rain. Residents desperately tried to save food and other items from the water. According to the local authorities, 200 families had to leave their homes. There should not have been any dead or injured. Only last week, at least 20 people died in the floods in the state of Bahia, south of Maranhao, and 19 thousand had to be evacuated.
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