Torrential rains over the past 24 hours on the northern coast of the Brazilian state of São Paulo have killed at least 19 people, including a seven-year-old child and a nine-month-old baby. There are also records of several missing persons and traces of untold destruction.
It was already expected that this weekend would be a lot of rain in the region, but the amount of rainfall was significantly higher than expected, according to a preliminary estimate by technical specialists from Cemaden, the Disaster Monitoring and Warning Center, that these were the heaviest rains. the heaviest rainfall ever experienced in Brazil.
In less than 24 hours, 683 mm fell in Bertioga and more than 700 mm in the neighboring city of San Sebastian, which is twice as much as, for example, 310 mm that fell a year ago in one day in Petropolis, Rio. de Janeiro, Janeiro, resulting in 341 deaths. The weather forecast for February, one of the three wettest months of the year, was 300mm over 28 days of the month.
The death toll was released in a partial report at around 6:55 pm local time, 9:55 pm in Lisbon, by the commander of the civil protection of the state of São Paulo, Colonel Engel do Carmo Ferreira. However, in the next few hours, their number should increase, since at that time there were still several regions where rescuers could not reach.
Most of the cities on the north coast, such as San Sebastian, Bertioga, Ilha Bela, Ubatuba and Caraguatatuba, had no electricity, potable water, internet or cell service at the time, further adding to the misery and suffering of residents and tourists. since the whole region is very touristy and hosts hundreds of thousands of people during the carnival.
On the island of Ilha Bela, whose sea links to São Sebastian were interrupted by bad weather, large craters formed on the beaches and city blocks, making car traffic inaccessible and important roads connecting the city of São Paulo to the northern coast, such as Rio de Janeiro became inaccessible. Sao Paulo, Mogi Bertioga and Tamoyos are closed due to landslides.
The inability to reach and navigate the cities forced the São Paulo state government to send all available military police helicopters to the north coast in order to send more firefighters and police, remove the wounded and try to help people who were injured. buried or isolated.
At the end of the day, the authorities turned to the Armed Forces for help, which provided large military helicopters capable of carrying dozens of people and able to withstand the weather.
At the time, the authorities said the situation was extremely serious as there were vast areas without access, many people were missing and others were buried without being able to reach them. The hurricane hit poor and rich neighborhoods alike, with simpler homes collapsing and luxury condominiums with water reaching the rooftops of the ground floor. All famous carnival celebrations in the region were also cancelled.
Author: Domingos Grilo Serrinha This Correspondent in Brazil
Source: CM Jornal
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