At least 36 people have been killed and hundreds more displaced in the Brazilian state of São Paulo due to heavy flooding and landslides. Video footage showed neighbourhoods submerged in water, flooded motorways and debris left after houses were swept away. Rescue teams have been struggling to reach survivors and unblock roads, with more than 600mm (23.6 inches) of rain falling in some areas on Sunday – twice the expected amount for the month.
The mayor of the hard-hit town of São Sebastião, Felipe Augusto, said that search and rescue teams had not yet been able to access several places and that the situation was chaotic. He added that dozens were missing, with around 50 houses having collapsed and washed away. The state government reported at least 35 deaths in São Sebastião, with the mayor of Ubatuba saying a young girl had also been killed.
A 180-day state of calamity was declared in six towns in the state, with Governor Tarcísio de Freitas releasing the equivalent of $1.5m (£1.2m) in funding for disaster relief. Carnival events were cancelled across the northern coastline, with Latin America’s largest port in Santos also shut due to high wind speeds and waves.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva promised to visit the affected areas on Monday and bring together all levels of government to provide healthcare and rescue teams. He also expressed his condolences to those who had lost loved ones. Unfortunately, more heavy rain is expected in the area, potentially making conditions worse for emergency teams.
Climate change is thought to be responsible for extreme weather events such as these floods, with over 230 people killed in torrential rain in Petropolis last year. The tragedy in São Paulo serves as a reminder of the devastating effects of climate change and the need for governments to take action to protect their citizens from its impacts.