Landslides, flooding in Brazil kill at least 36; dozens more missing
‘Either you run or you die,’ says a resident in Sao Paulo state who escaped as downpour destroyed homes.
SAO SEBASTIAO, Brazil — Hundreds of rescuers Monday searched for survivors of landslides and flooding that killed at least 36 people along the coast of Brazil’s southern state of Sao Paulo after a weekend downpour.
Worst hit was the city of Sao Sebastiao, where at least 35 were dead. In neighboring Ubatuba, a 7-year-old girl was killed. The disaster, in an area famous for beaches flanked by mountains, prompted cancellations of Carnival festivities, which are in full swing elsewhere in the country.
Sao Paulo Gov. Tarcisio de Freitas told the television network Globo that 40 people were missing. Nearly 800 people were homeless and 1,730 displaced, his government said in a statement.
Footage on TV showed f looded homes, with only the roofs visible. Residents used small boats to reach elevated positions.
A woman who gave only her first name, Mailsa, said she and her husband, daughter and grandson barely escaped when a landslide destroyed her house in the Juquehy municipality of Sao Sebastiao. The house was partially submerged, parts of it fell away, and the rest was precariously perched on the edge of a hill.
“It was very quick. Either you run or you die,” she said. “It’s not possible to take anything — only your life, which is the most important thing.”
Members of the armed forces joined the searchand-rescue efforts, hampered by poor access to many areas after landslides blocked the snaking roads in the region’s highlands and floods washed away chunks of pavement in low-lying and oceanfront areas.
“Our rescue teams are not managing to get to several locations. It is a chaotic situation,” Sao Sebastiao Mayor Felipe Augusto said Sunday night on social media.
Augusto said about 50 houses had collapsed in the city due to landslides and posted videos of destruction and search efforts, including one of a baby being rescued by locals lined up on a flooded street.
The highway connecting Rio de Janeiro state with Sao Paulo’s port city of Santos was blocked by landslides and floodwaters. De Freitas said the damage was so extensive that the highway may be irreparable.
Precipitation in Sao Sebastiao surpassed 600 millimeters (23.6 inches) during a 24-hour period over the weekend, among the most in such a short period in Brazil.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited the region Monday. He viewed the damage in Sao Sebastiao from a helicopter and met with De Freitas at the city’s theater, where search operations were being coordinated. Lula called for people living in hillside areas to be relocated to safer regions.
“Every now and then, nature plays a surprise on us, but also many times we defy nature,” he said.
De Freitas declared a state of emergency for the hardest-hit cities — including Sao Sebastiao, Ubatuba, Ilhabela and Bertioga — which enables expedited allocation of relief funds. He said $1.35 million already had been released. On Monday, the governor also declared three days of official mourning in Sao Paulo state.
The rain affected water, electricity and phone services, according to the state government, which posted on Twitter a video showing nearly 8,000 gallons of water being transported to Sao Sebastiao. Hygiene kits, blankets, sleeping bags, mattresses and medical supplies have also been sent.
Minister of Integration and Regional Development Waldez Góes said on Twitter that experts were preparing for repair work.
“In the coming days, we will work on the reconstruction of bridges, public buildings, housing units and all the public infrastructure affected,” Góes tweeted.
The affected area, on the northern coast of Sao Paulo state, is a popular Carnival destination for wealthy tourists who prefer to avoid street parties in big cities.