Severe Amazon drought

Just months after floods destroyed crops and submerged entire communities, thousands of families in the Brazilian Amazon are dealing with severe drought that, at least in some areas, is the worst in decades. The low level of the Amazon River has put dozens of municipalities under alert. The fast-decreasing river water level is due to lower-than-expected rainfall in August and September. As most of Amazonas state is not connected by roads, the main concern is the shortage of food, fuel and other goods normally transported through waterways. In Tefe, a city of 60,000 people by the Amazon river, large ships have not been able to arrive at the downtown port. Many waterways, such as lakes and creeks, have dried up, eliminating access to the Amazon River and thus to nearby cities, which function as commercial hubs.