A strong storm accompanied by “record” rainfall killed at least 36 people in several coastal localities in the state of Sao Paulo in Brazil during the Carnival weekend, authorities said on Sunday. The balance sheet is likely to increase.
So far, 35 deaths have been recorded in the municipality of Sao Sebastiao, located about 200 km from Sao Paulo, the local government said in a statement issued on Sunday. Further north, in the coastal town of Ubatuba, a little girl died following heavy rains, the same statement said.
“Unfortunately, we are going to have many more deaths,” Sao Paulo State Civil Defense chief Henguel Pereira was quoted by Brazilian daily Folha de S.Paulo as saying. In addition, some 228 people have been displaced and 338 others evacuated in this region of the south-east of the country, where a state of emergency has been declared in five municipalities.
The number of people injured and missing has not yet been specified by the authorities, who are still hard at work to help the survivors. The rescue of a two-year-old boy who was covered in mud and a pregnant woman in labor was particularly highlighted by authorities. The teams “continue into the night (Sunday) and early (tomorrow) morning the search and rescue activities”, added the government of Sao Paulo.
Lula visiting the region
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will travel to the area affected by the storm on Monday morning after landing in Bahia around 10 a.m. (2 p.m. in Switzerland). “Tomorrow I will travel to Sao Paulo to visit the region and support the efforts to deal with this tragedy,” he said on Twitter.
The municipality of Sao Sebastiao, very busy with locals during Carnival, was one of the hardest hit by the storm. In 24 hours, 600 mm of rain was recorded, twice the monthly average, the town hall said.
Here, the landscape has been ravaged by the disaster. Around 50 houses were washed away, Mayor Felipe Augusto reported. “There are still people underground,” he said. Rainfall volumes were “exceptional and broke records”, he said, describing an “extremely critical” situation.
As in other localities in the region, the program of carnival festivities has been canceled in Sao Sebastiao. The National Institute of Meteorology maintained the alert for heavy rain in the region until Monday morning.
Rescue operations
Images of the region broadcast by local media or on social networks testify to the extent of the damage. Neighborhoods were submerged, rubble of homes was swept away by landslides and roads collapsed.
In another message posted on social networks, the Brazilian president promised to “bring together all levels of government” to “take care of the injured, search for the missing, restore roads, electrical connections and communication networks”.
More than 130 teams are still active in this difficult terrain, using 23 vehicles and seven aircraft, alongside the Brazilian army, military police, firefighters and specialized groups of Defense civilian who were also deployed, said the government of Sao Paulo.
On Monday, 80 other police officers will reinforce the rescue device. In addition, the governor of the state of Sao Paulo, Tarcisio de Freitas, who flew over the area affected by the storm on Sunday, released 1.5 million dollars (1.4 million euros) for rescue operations. .
The national government has also released funds to deal with the emergency. “There will be no shortage of human resources or equipment,” promised the Minister of Integration and Regional Development, Waldez Goes, to the Brazilian television channel GloboNews. The latter will visit the region on Monday.
Brazil, which is suffering the effects of climate change, is plagued by repeated natural disasters, such as in Petropolis in the state of Rio de Janeiro, where more than 230 people died following heavy rains in 2022.
ats, afp