CLIMATE CRISIS
Frantic search for dozens missing in Brazil floodsLujan Scarpinelli with Marcelo Silva de Sousa in Brasilia
Tue, February 21, 2023
Rescuers in southeastern Brazil scrambled Tuesday to find survivors among dozens of people still missing after record rainfalls caused flooding and mudslides that killed at least 46 people over the weekend.
Some 680 millimeters (26 inches) of rain -- more than double the expected monthly amount -- fell in 24 hours around the popular beach city of Sao Sebastiao, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) southeast of Sao Paulo.
The downpour was a record for the area, according to the state government, and the Inmet weather service said rains would continue falling in the region this week.
With emergency crews pulling more bodies from the disaster zone Tuesday, authorities issued an alert through Wednesday for the risk of more landslides in the area.
"Search and rescue work continues uninterrupted" after raging rivers of mud, stones and trees razed precarious houses built on slopes, according to the office of Sao Paulo's governor.
But the wet weather complicated the work of some 1,000 search and rescue personnel, backed by 50 vehicles, 14 helicopters and 53 engineering teams.
Late Tuesday, the governor's office raised the death toll from 44 to 46 -- all in Sao Sebastiao except for one in the seaside resort of Ubatuba.
"We don't know where the death toll will end," Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas told AFP after arriving by helicopter to visit the area.
Officially, 38 people are reported as missing, a figure that will likely push the final number of deaths closer to 70, he added.
Authorities said more than 1,730 people had been temporarily evacuated from their homes while at least 760 were left homeless.
Twenty-five people, including six children, were taken to hospital and seven were in a serious condition.
Sao Sebastiao officials set up a tent for a collective wake for victims.
- $6,000 helicopter rides -
Residents with shovels and hoes cleaned mud out of their homes as heavy vehicles passed by outside to collect debris.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva flew over the holiday zone-turned-disaster area Monday and warned about the dangers of improvised urban construction.
An estimated 9.5 million of Brazil's 215 million people live in areas at high risk of flooding or landslides -- often in impoverished favelas.
With many roads still blocked by boulders and mud, some vacationers were evacuated by boat as intense helicopter traffic continued to and from the most affected areas.
The authorities urged tourists to leave the coastal areas, and Brazilian media reported that some tourists paid as much as 30,000 reais (almost $6,000) for a helicopter ride out.
"There was no way to go anywhere," said Gabriel Bonavides, who was spending his holiday in a rented house with friends when disaster struck.
"We left the car there and had to return by boat," the 19-year-old law student told AFP.
Residents of nearby Juquehy, still shaken by the weekend storm, spent another night in anguish when rains caused fresh landslides early Tuesday. No casualties were reported.
Dozens dead as flooding and landslides hit carnival revellers in Brazil
Shweta Sharma
Tue, 21 February 2023
Heavy rain triggered floods and landslides in Brazil, killing at least 36 people and casting a pall over the country’s annual carnival festivities.
The hardest-hit regions – Sao Sebastiao, Ubatuba, Ilhabela and Bertioga – had to abruptly cancel public parades in order to rescue survivors.
Pictures from some of the worst-hit areas showed entire neighbourhoods inundated in water with only roofs visible of some houses, while highways and roads remained cut off with fallen trees.
A road that connects Rio de Janeiro to the city of Santos was cut off after landslides and floodwaters.
Residents and rescue workers are bracing for heavy rains that will continue to lash Sao Paulo’s coastal area, leading to challenging evacuations and rescue and relief work.
Sao Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, has declared a 180-day state of emergency for its six cities after what experts described as an “unprecedented, extreme weather event”.
Authorities said 600mm (23.6 inches) of rain fell in one day.
Felipe Augusto, the mayor of San Sebastiao, which is 200km (120 miles) north of Sao Paulo, confirmed 23 deaths as of Monday.
“We have not yet gauged the scale of the damage. We are trying to rescue the victims,” said Mr Augusto, describing the situation as “extremely critical”.
“We are working at nearly 50 residences that collapsed under the force of the water and there are still people buried,” he told Globo news.
Sao Paulo governor Tarcisio de Freitas said he has requested military support and is scheduled to meet federal officials to coordinate the response.
In the port city of Santos, rescue attempts were interrupted by wind gusts exceeding 55kpm and waves of more than one metre high.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was on holiday, spending the carnival in Bahia state in Brazil’s northeast, was expected to visit the main affected areas.
“We are going to bring together all levels of government and, with the solidarity of society, treat the wounded, look for the missing, restore highways, power connections and telecommunications in the region. My condolences to the families who lost loved ones in this tragedy,” he said.
He added that the federal government has mobilised the army to join the search and rescue efforts.
Rio de Janeiro’s famously colorful carnival celebration returned in full force this month after Covid and is expected to generate nearly $1bn in business.
The streets of Brazil’s second-largest city play host to the free and wildly hedonistic parties, known as blocos, while the traditional samba schools parade through the city’s Marques de Sapucai Sambadrome.
Shweta Sharma
Tue, 21 February 2023
Heavy rain triggered floods and landslides in Brazil, killing at least 36 people and casting a pall over the country’s annual carnival festivities.
The hardest-hit regions – Sao Sebastiao, Ubatuba, Ilhabela and Bertioga – had to abruptly cancel public parades in order to rescue survivors.
Pictures from some of the worst-hit areas showed entire neighbourhoods inundated in water with only roofs visible of some houses, while highways and roads remained cut off with fallen trees.
A road that connects Rio de Janeiro to the city of Santos was cut off after landslides and floodwaters.
Residents and rescue workers are bracing for heavy rains that will continue to lash Sao Paulo’s coastal area, leading to challenging evacuations and rescue and relief work.
Sao Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, has declared a 180-day state of emergency for its six cities after what experts described as an “unprecedented, extreme weather event”.
Authorities said 600mm (23.6 inches) of rain fell in one day.
Felipe Augusto, the mayor of San Sebastiao, which is 200km (120 miles) north of Sao Paulo, confirmed 23 deaths as of Monday.
“We have not yet gauged the scale of the damage. We are trying to rescue the victims,” said Mr Augusto, describing the situation as “extremely critical”.
“We are working at nearly 50 residences that collapsed under the force of the water and there are still people buried,” he told Globo news.
Sao Paulo governor Tarcisio de Freitas said he has requested military support and is scheduled to meet federal officials to coordinate the response.
In the port city of Santos, rescue attempts were interrupted by wind gusts exceeding 55kpm and waves of more than one metre high.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was on holiday, spending the carnival in Bahia state in Brazil’s northeast, was expected to visit the main affected areas.
“We are going to bring together all levels of government and, with the solidarity of society, treat the wounded, look for the missing, restore highways, power connections and telecommunications in the region. My condolences to the families who lost loved ones in this tragedy,” he said.
He added that the federal government has mobilised the army to join the search and rescue efforts.
Rio de Janeiro’s famously colorful carnival celebration returned in full force this month after Covid and is expected to generate nearly $1bn in business.
The streets of Brazil’s second-largest city play host to the free and wildly hedonistic parties, known as blocos, while the traditional samba schools parade through the city’s Marques de Sapucai Sambadrome.
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