Brazil Ravaged by Destructive Floods Amid Heavy Rains; 20 People Dead, Thousands Displaced

Due to excessive rain in So Paulo, which has caused floods and landslides across Brazil's state, at least 24 people have died since Friday.

According to a statement made by the State Civil Defense, more than 1,546 households have also been affected, with at least eight children among the fatalities.

Search ongoing for Brazil deadly landslide victims

On Sunday, Governor Joo Doria of So Paulo announced the deployment of a working group of firemen, military police, and civil defense forces to assist the mayors of the affected cities.

After a landslide demolished homes, images from the municipality of Franco da Rocha showed portions of main roadways underwater while others showed rescue personnel searching through wreckage in search of survivors and important goods. According to a statement from Doria's office, 15 million reais (approximately $2.8 million) would be awarded to the 10 most-affected towns.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the southern region of Brazil, has been witnessing a rise in average rainfall as well as extreme rain events since the 1960s, mainly due to increases in global greenhouse gas emissions and the loss of the atmosphere's ozone layer, as per CNN.

Over the weekend, some 500,000 residents were forced to abandon their houses due to rising water levels. Three members of the same family died after a landslide destroyed their home in the city of Embu das Artes, according to the local authority, while four others were saved by firemen.

Four children died in Francisco Morato, and four more people died in Franco da Rocha, according to Joao Doria, the governor of the state of Sao Paulo. There have also been deaths in Ribeiro Preto and Ja. Three of the victims were washed away by floods, according to the state fire department.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Governor Doria dispatched a helicopter to assess the damage caused by the rains in Brazil, and he committed $2.8 million in relief to the afflicted communities. Overflowing rivers, according to the state government, forced 500,000 residents to flee their homes.

Several highways and roads were blocked as a result of the rising seas. In addition, owing to rain-related disruptions, the city of Sao Paulo suspended scheduled immunization efforts against the COVID-19, Republic World reported.

Family of five were among killed in Brazil landslide

One-year-old infant and a family of five people were killed when their home in Brazil was demolished by a landslide. Rescue workers discovered the dead bodies of Ricardo dos Santos, 40, his wife Tatiane, and their children Richard, 12, Nicole, 10, and Tayane, one, in their house in Várzea Paulista, a city in southern Brazil.

The Fire Department, along with the Civil Defense and Military Police of So Paulo, excavated for around eight hours before being able to rescue the remains late on Sunday afternoon, impeded by the torrential downpour.

Over the weekend, half of the typical January rainfall, nearly four inches, dropped in a 24-hour period, creating floods and catastrophic landslides, according to local officials. In a statement issued by the Ministry of Regional Development, the federal government stated that it is keeping an eye on the situation.

Aruja, Francisco Morato, Embu das Artes, and Franco da Rocha were among the hardest-hit areas in and surrounding the city of So Paulo. State officials said the storms also caused damage in Várzea Paulista, Campo Limpo Paulista, Jau, Capivari, Montemor, and Rafard upstate. At least 500 households were forced to flee their homes.

Heavy rains have been causing devastating floods in northeast Brazil since December, threatening to postpone crops and temporarily halting mining activities in the state of Minas Gerais, according to Mail Online.