Rain brings flooding to south Brazil

The rains that hit south Brazil in the last few days keep wrecking havoc and forcing a large number of people from their homes. Storms that pounded the western region of Santa Catarina, for instance, from Wednesday (Jun 25) to Sunday (29), have affected 41 cities, of which 18 have declared state of emergency. Up to the moment, victims include 4 thousand people who permanently lost their homes, and 41 thousand who had to leave them temporarily.

Also, the pouring rain that has lashed the state of Rio Grande do Sul since last week has thus far caused 7,765 evacuations in 62 municipalities. The number of homeless residents who have sought shelter with friends and family total more than 5,380 people. According to the state’s Civil Defense, 2,285 temporarily homeless people have been taken to public shelters. The northern area of the state is where the severe weather conditions have been at their gravest.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira