Massive flooding in Brazil left a total of 116 cities in the country's northeastern region in the state of Bahia in a state of emergency on Tuesday after heavy rains that have battered the nation since the end of November.
In at least five other states in the country's north and southeast, cities have also been flooded in recent days. Flooding in Bahia has affected more than 400,000 residents and water has ravaged homes and businesses in at least 50 cities. People were forced to abandon their homes and belongings.
Massive Flooding
The state government released official data that showed 31,500 residents have been robbed of their homes while 31,000 others have been displaced by the flooding. Since the beginning of the month, authorities reported that the recent incidents have also killed at least 20 people and injured 358 others.
The flooding that residents are currently struggling with is brought by what officials consider to be the heaviest period of rainfall in Bahia in the last 32 years, based on the National Center for Monitoring and Alerts of Natural Disasters' website. Bahia experienced five times the normal amount of rain it usually experiences this time of the year, the Associated Press reported.
On Tuesday, Bahia State Gov. Rui Costa said that the infrastructure damage caused by the flooding was "enormous." The official's statement came as images of the affected areas showed residents trying to salvage their belongings from their homes that have been ravaged by the floods.
Costa also warned the country's people of a "perfect storm" caused by the catastrophic effects of the flooding amid the coronavirus pandemic that has lasted for two years. He added that the federal government was struggling against a natural disaster and two pandemics at the same time, citing the coronavirus and the flu virus.
The state governor said that critical COVID-19 medicines and vaccines have been destroyed after flooding ravaged cities and municipalities, including Jucurucu and Itororo. Costa added that in some places, 100% of all medicines and vaccines were lost after water completely flooded the municipal health secretariats and their medicine depots, CNN reported.
Thousands Displaced
Costa said that while the country has previously experienced other floods and other disasters that have killed people, there was never anything with such territorial extension as the recent incidents. The official said that flooding has hit a large number of cities and impacted thousands of residents at the same time.
Rescue teams searched areas by boats and helicopters in an attempt to gain entry to various parts of Ilheus, Itabuna, Irece, and a hundred other cities in the country. In support of the efforts, neighboring states deployed aircraft and firefighters to assist police and members of the armed forces. Additionally, volunteers distributed donated food, mattresses, and blankets for the poorest communities that have been affected by the flooding.
Over the Christmas holiday weekend, the situation grew even direr after heavy rainfall caused two dams to collapse. The first one was located in Vitoria da Conquista, which is in the southern part of the state, and broke on Saturday night. The second, which collapsed on Sunday morning, was located 125 miles north, in Jussiape, the New York Times reported.
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