Brazil: Torrential rain caused flooding and landslides that resulted in at least 36 fatalities and hundreds of displaced people on the southeast coast of Brazil.
In the state of Sao Paulo, footage from the town of Sao Sebastiao was broadcast on television and shared on social media. It showed entire neighbourhoods submerged in water, the wreckage of houses on hillsides being carried away by mud, flooded roads, and automobiles being hit by falling trees.
The town, which is 200 kilometres (124 miles) north of Sao Paulo and where many residents of the capital spend the long weekend before the Christian festival of Lent, was one of the most hit, according to local officials, as a record 600 mm (24 inches) of rain poured in 24 hours.
Agradeço ao @cmse_exercito por atender ao chamado de São Paulo para socorrer a população em um momento tão difícil para todos nós. A cada um de vocês que embarca nesta missão, minha melhor continência. https://t.co/wZfN1Y3mGn
— Tarcísio Gomes de Freitas (@tarcisiogdf) February 20, 2023
The state administration of Sao Paolo issued a statement confirming that at least 35 persons perished in San Sebastiao. According to the sources, a seven-year-old child was also slain in the nearby village of Ubatuba.
Governor Mr. Tarcisio de Freitas of the state of Sao Paulo proclaimed an emergency in five coastal communities. As per his government, 566 people were uprooted or rendered homeless. The carnival in Sao Sebastiao, Ubatuba, Ilhabela, and Bertioga was postponed.
There were more than 100 firefighters working in the area with the assistance of aircraft, as per the report. Authorities claimed that a woman giving delivery and a two-year-old toddler were both saved from a sea of mud amidst the loss and destruction.
O Comando de Aviação João Negrão e o @BombeirosPMESP, realizou nesta data, o resgate de uma criança de 2 anos que estava soterrada na região da Vila Sahy, e foi transportada para o Hospital Regional do Litoral Norte. #EmergênciaLitoralNorte pic.twitter.com/WKqMMBfkVM
— SegurançaSP (@SegurancaSP) February 19, 2023
Weather forecasts show it will continue to rain heavily in the coastal region of Sao Paulo, making rescue efforts more difficult and increasing the likelihood that more people may die. A number of ministries were asked to mobilise in order to assist victims, repair infrastructure, and begin reconstruction work.
Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil, announced on social media that he would travel to the worst-affected districts. Mr. Lula remarked that government at all levels would work to “take care of the injured, look for missing people and restore roads, energy and telecommunications.”
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