Brazil is once again bereaved by a natural disaster. A strong storm accompanied by “record” rainfall killed at least 24 people in several coastal localities in the state of Sao Paulo, following floods and landslides during the Carnival weekend, the authorities said on Sunday. authorities.
So far, “23 deaths” have been recorded in the municipality of Sao Sebastiao, located about 200 km from Sao Paulo, the city’s mayor Felipe Augusto told the American television channel CNN. Further north, in the coastal town of Ubatuba, a baby girl died following heavy rains, the local government said.
State of emergency declared in five municipalities
The Sao Paulo state government also reported that “228 people had been displaced and 338 others evacuated”. 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.
Sao Paulo State Governor Tarcisio de Freitas, who flew over the area affected by the storm, declared a state of emergency in five municipalities in this region north of Sao Paulo. The latter released 1.5 million dollars (1.4 million euros) for rescue operations.
Precipitation volumes “have broken records”
The municipality of Sao Sebastiao, very busy with locals during Carnival, was one of the hardest hit by the storm. In twenty-four hours, 600 mm of rain were recorded, twice as much as the monthly average, the town hall said. The volumes of precipitation were “exceptional and broke records”, underlined Felipe Augusto, describing an “extremely critical” situation. As in other localities in the region, the program of festivities was canceled due to severe weather.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will visit the area affected by the storm on Monday. He 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 a hundred firefighters are still active on this difficult terrain, using vehicles and seven helicopters, said the government of Sao Paulo. The army was also mobilized, as well as two military aircraft. Specialized Civil Defense groups have also been deployed to the scene to reinforce the rescue system.