Brazil: 116 cities in Bahia affected by rainfall; deaths reach 20

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Bahia State Civil Defense and Protection Superintendence (SUDEC) counted 116 municipalities affected by heavy rains since last Thursday, December 23, through Monday, December 27. Of these, 100 municipalities have declared a state of emergency. A total of 20 deaths and 358 people injured have been reported.

The two most recent deaths occurred in Itabuna: a 33 year old woman, victim of a landslide, and a 21 year old man, washed away by the current. A total of 471,009 people have been affected, according to data from the municipalities and SUDEC. Also according to the data, 31,405 people are homeless and 31,391 are displaced.

At least a further 15,400 people are displaced. The weather forecast is for storms in the region to persist over the coming days, which could exacerbate the impact of rainfall.

The federal government has transferred R$20 (US$3.5) million to the affected municipalities in Bahia.

Minister of Citizenship João Roma is in the state on behalf of President Jair Bolsonaro to assist the homeless. He is also a pre-candidate for the Republicans for the Bahia state government, currently held by Rui Costa (PT – Workers’ Party).

For his part, Bolsonaro flew to São Francisco do Sul (Santa Catarina), where he will spend New Year’s Eve with first lady Michelle and their 11-year-old daughter Laura, and will only return to Brasília on January 3.

The Ministry of Regional Development reported that the head of the portfolio, Rogério Marinho, is expected to travel to Bahia this morning.

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