2022 accounts for 27% of all rain-related deaths in the last ten years

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The number of deaths caused by excessive rainfall in Brazil in 2022 is the highest in the last ten years and corresponds to 27% of all victims recorded in this period.

In the first five months alone (from January to May), 478 lives were lost – 65% more than in all of 2021, when 290 people died.

From January 1, 2013, to June 1, 2022, 1,777 deaths were recorded due to excessive rainfall – such as landslides and drowning.

The data are from a survey conducted by CNM (National Confederation of Municipalities) based on data from S2ID (Integrated System of Information on Disasters) of the Ministry of Regional Development.

Pernambuco state registered the last great tragedy caused by rains. At least 121 people had died by Wednesday night (June 1, 2022). Thousands of people are still homeless.

In February, the city of Petrópolis, in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro state, was the main weather disaster of the year. A strong storm left at least 223 people dead.

The president of CNM, Paulo Ziulkoski, pointed out that one of the main factors for the recurrence of disasters is the lack of resources for prevention.

“With the increasing reduction of funds for prevention, year after year, in every government, the result is that, in practice, we only act in response, with a great burden on the municipalities,” said Ziulkoski.

With information from Poder360