The authorities have urged the evacuation of 32,000 families living in risk areas and have offered refuge in municipal facilities
More than 90 people have died due to the torrential rains that have lashed the metropolitan region of Recife, capital of Pernambuco (northeast Brazil) for days (AFP)
The Secretary of Social Defense of the state Brazilian city of Pernambuco confirmed the death of 91 people due to the torrential rains that have affected the region since last Wednesday. In addition, there are already 26 people missing and 5,000 people have had to leave their homes.
The search tasks in Recife, the state capital, resumed on Monday morning with the participation of almost 300 Civil Defense, Army and municipal officials in seven places where landslides have been detected.
The governor of Pernambuco, Paulo Camara, explained that there are now fourteen municipalities that have declared a state of emergency, including the capital, Recife.< /p>
With the implementation of the state of emergency, Camara announced that as of this week About 100 million reais (21 million dollars) will be used to pay for rescue and recovery efforts, as well as for the construction of infrastructure damaged by the rains.
“We know that the first few hours are very difficult (…). I have spoken with all the mayors so that they can draw up a work plan to know what support actions from the state they are going to need,” explained Camara.
catastrophic rains in pernambuco, brazil
The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro flew over the affected area on Monday and criticized Camara for not having consulted him on the response to these heavy rains.
“At any time that the governors and prefects search, we answer. There was a lack of initiative on your part. If the governor was doing something else, I don’t know. We are not going to politicize this issue”, he declared, according to Folha de Sao Paulo .
“ The governor must forget political issues in times of crisis, roll up his sleeves and not engage in politics with the misfortune of some, as has unfortunately happened,” Bolsonaro reproached. Camara, for his part, published on Sunday night that he had not been informed of Bolsonaro’s visit this Monday.
Of the 30 deaths reported on Saturday, 20 correspond to a landslide in Jardim Monte Verde, in the Ibura neighborhood, in the south of Recife, according to a Civil Defense report.
The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, visited on Monday the areas affected by torrential rains in the northeast of the country, where more than 90 people died and the search for twenty continued (AFP)
The authorities have urged the evacuation of 32,000 families living in risk areas and have offered refuge in municipal facilities, while others have had to stay in the homes of friends or relatives.
Only from 11:00 p.m. on Friday and 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, 236 millimeters of rain per square meter were recorded in some areas of the city, according to Civil Defense, which represents more than 70 percent of the total forecast for May for the city.
Paulo Cámara announced the appointment of 92 new members of the Fire Department who would assume their position as of June 6, with the aim reinforce the rescue of the victims of the floods, according to O Globo. In addition, Cámara requested the support of personnel from the Armed Forces, as well as vessels and aircraft from the Brazilian Army.
(With information from Europa Press)< /p>