Authorities in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state said at least 36 people were killed in severe flooding and landslides in São Sebastião. This has forced some cities to cancel their annual carnival celebrations. Rescuers are having trouble reaching survivors and clearing roads. This is a result of over 600 mm (23.6 inches) of rain which fell in some areas on Sunday.
According to authorities,
“search and rescue teams are not managing to get to several places; it is a chaotic situation, we have not yet gauged the scale of the damage. We are trying to rescue the victims” said Felipe Augusto, the mayor of the hard-hit town of São Sebastião.
Meanwhile, authorities say another 228 people have become homeless and 338 have fled coastal areas north of São Paulo.
The State Governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas declared a 180-day state of emergency in six cities within the province. The states include São Sebastião, Caraguatatuba, Ilhabela, Ubatuba, Guarujá and Bertioga.
According to the Governor, he had released $1.5 million (£1.2 million) worth of funds for disaster relief.
Carnival events were cancelled across the northern coastline, which is a popular destination for wealthy tourists. Latin America’s largest port at Santos was also closed after wind speeds exceeded 55km/h (34mph) and waves rose to over a metre, local media reported.
President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, in a Twitter post, offered his condolences to those who have lost loved ones. He also promised to rally authorities to provide health and rescue teams.
“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,” Mr da Silva wrote.
More Extreme weather events such as flooding are expected to become more frequent as the effects of climate change take hold. It is bring about threatening conditions for residents and emergency teams.
Last year, torrential rains in the southeastern city of Petropolis killed more than 230 of his people.
