President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited the areas affected by the devastating flooding and landslides in the southeastern state of Sao Paulo on Monday, where at least 40 people have been killed and several hundred displaced. During his visit, he promised to help rebuild the town of some 91,000 people by constructing new houses in safer places and restoring key infrastructure facilities such as roads.
Lula expressed his condolences to the victims and their families, and assured the people of Sao Paulo that they can “count on the federal government” for support. He also warned that “sometimes we also tempt nature” and urged people to be more mindful of the environment.
The flooding was triggered by a large downpour of rain over the weekend, resulting in 600mm (24 inches) of rain washing over the town of Sao Sebastiao in less than 24 hours. Photos of the area show homes inundated with debris and 50 homes collapsed from flooding and landslides. The Rio-Santos highway was blocked by a mudslide, while surrounding towns such as Ilhabela and Caraguatatuba were also impacted.
In order to seek shelter on higher ground, some residents used boats to ferry goods and people to elevated areas. Vanesa Cristina Caetano, a 41-year-old domestic worker who escaped with her husband and two children in San Sebastiao, described the terrifying experience of hearing “the noise of trees falling and glass breaking” and “the water rushing down, along with lots of trees and rocks”.
The tragedy has prompted many cities in the region to cancel Carnival festivities, while Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas declared an 18-day state of calamity for six towns in impacted areas. Nearly 800 people have lost their homes and authorities have reported that those rescued from the torrent of mud include a two-year-old boy and a woman giving birth.
In recent years, flooding and landslides have been a persistent and deadly phenomenon in Brazil. In February 2022, more than 200 people were killed as the city of Petropolis near Rio de Janeiro was inundated with flooding and landslides, and torrential rains resulted in flooding that killed 100 in the state or Pernambuco in May 2022. It is clear that Brazil must take measures to protect its citizens from such disasters in the future.