RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The heavy rains that have been affecting Espírito Santo since last Friday, January 17th, have already killed seven people and left 2,355 homeless.
According to the latest bulletin released by the Secretariat of Public Safety and Social Defense (SESP), of the total number of homeless, 2,271 people had to leave their homes and temporarily settle in the homes of relatives or friends. The 84 displaced people were taken to public shelters – in some cases, improvised in public schools or churches.
The more than 90 percent of the homeless counted by 11 AM on Wednesday, January 22nd, live in two southern cities in the state. The highest number of homeless was recorded in Alfredo Chaves, some 80 kilometers from the capital Vitoria: 1,107 people, in addition to three deaths.
In Vargem Alta, 40 kilometers west of Alfredo Chaves, 1,006 people were forced to leave their homes and stay with relatives or friends. Vargem Alta also recorded the highest number of displaced: 58 people.
On Monday, January 20th, the mayor of Alfredo Chaves, Fernando Videira Lafayette, declared a situation of public calamity. So far, 17 bridges have been damaged or destroyed in the municipality.
The overflow of the Benevente River flooded streets, destroyed houses and caused the three deaths recorded in the city. Neighborhood roads and state highways were affected by roadblocks, interrupting all or part of the vehicle traffic.
The celebrations to commemorate the 129 years of the city’s political emancipation scheduled for next Friday, January 24th, have been canceled by the city government, which has focused its efforts in the Civil Defense Coordination of municipal agencies to serve the population, clean the streets and restore basic services.
In addition to the deaths recorded in Alfredo Chaves, four people died because of the rain in Iconha, 100 km south of Vitoria.
On Friday. January 17th, the level of the Iconha River, which cuts through the city, rose nearly four meters, overflowing and flooding and forcing the Municipal Civil Defense to urge families to leave their homes in areas of risk and seek safe shelter.
The water supply was affected in part of the city and on Sunday, January 19th, the water and sewage company, SAAE, recommended the population to consume water with caution. “Water should be used for basic needs, hygiene, and cars will be available for families to clean their homes. The municipality also asked the population to cooperate with the donation of cleaning and personal hygiene materials for flood victims”.
More rainfall
In Colatina alone, in the center of the state, it has rained 100.86 mm in 24 hours, while forecasts for the whole month are between 300 and 500 mm.
Weather institutes cautioned that there is a high probability that heavy rainfall or storms will hit the state again in the next few hours.
The National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) issued an orange alert for Espírito Santo, part of Minas Gerais (also affected by heavy rainfall in recent days), Bahia, Goiás, Rio de Janeiro, and the Federal District.
On Tuesday, federal agencies such as the National Center for Risk and Disaster Management (CENAD), of the Ministry of Regional Development (MDR), had already issued a joint alert on the potential for heavy rainfall in the same strip of Brazilian territory.
In a joint note, the federal agencies recommend that state and municipal civil protection and defense authorities alert the vulnerable population to the imminent risk.