Brazil Floods Leave Hundreds of Cutoff Survivors Struggling for Supplies

Brazil floods and mudslides have isolated villages in the rain-soaked Sao Paulo, leaving hundreds of people struggling for water and necessities on Wednesday.

Despite efforts by both official and private humanitarian organizations, delivering supplies to the region's remote settlements has proven to be a formidable challenge, AP reports.

Authorities have restored several damaged roads, but it will take time for the region to recover fully.

Firefighters, police, and volunteers are still searching through the wreckage of landslide-damaged homes for survivors.

Around 1,730 people were displaced, and 1,810 have lost their homes, per Sao Paolo state government reports.

Sao Sebastiao has a large homeless population, and many of the city's churches, schools, and daycares have opened their doors to them.

Sao Paulo has already provided 7.5 tons of relief to the victims, which includes food, water, and hygiene kits.

However, not all aid had reached its designated destination due to thieves taking advantage of the commotion and robbing vehicles bringing donations, said Governor Tarcisio de Freitas.

Brazil's Environment Minister Marina Silva went to Barra do Sahy on Wednesday. Reuri Nascimento, a local, has removed 22 bodies using his quadbike, according to Silva.

Nascimento voiced his concern that relief was not being distributed to those affected by Brazil floods and landslides.

"Why aren't the police here to help us? There's food trafficking; we don't know where the food is going," he said.

Silva assured the public that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's administration tried to rectify the situation. "We're going to have to work to adapt the city, focusing on the poorest, those who live near the hillside," Silva said.

Brazil Floods and Rains Death Toll Reaches 48

Heavy rains in Brazil's southeastern Sao Paulo state have killed at least 48 people, and dozens more are still missing despite ongoing search and rescue operations, according to official numbers released on Wednesday.

"We are currently working with a tally of at least 38 missing people," de Freitas told reporters as weather forecasters cautioned more rain was expected later in the day.

Forty-seven people lost their lives in Sao Sebastiao, a city about 200 kilometers (124.3 miles) from Sao Paulo, Reuters noted.

However, Ilhabela, Caraguatatuba, Bertioga, and Ubatuba were also severely impacted due to their proximity.

With "moderate to heavy rains" predicted to fall until early evening, the state administration said the rain was anticipated on Wednesday as a new cold front encourages the development of heavy clouds over the region.

Cities in Sao Paulo Brazil Are in a State of Calamity

Several cities in Sao Paulo were placed in a calamity for 180 days following an extreme weather event that experts called unprecedented.

Meanwhile, the Carnival celebrations in Sao Sebastio and Bertioga were canceled while rescue workers looked for people who were missing, injured, or thought to be dead.

After getting a request for help from de Freitas, Brazil's military sent two planes and rescue crews to the area.

The Sao Paulo governor placed the cities of Sao Sebastiao, Bertioga, Ubatuba, Ilhabela, and Caraguatatuba under a state of calamity.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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