Rainfall leaves 45 homeless and displaced in Brazil’s Espírito Santo

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The heavy rains affecting Espírito Santo over the weekend left 45 people homeless in the interior of the state. The Doce River overflowed. The state Civil Defense issued a flood alert for 4 municipalities and a moderate landslide risk warning for another 8 cities.

Of the total 45 people affected, 28 are homeless (unable to return home) and 17 are displaced (temporarily out of their homes). All live in Linhares, in the north of the state, and are sheltered in the Conceição district sports gym.

As for the displaced, 9 are from Colatina, 5 from João Neiva and 3 from Muniz Freire. The Espírito Santo Civil Defense reported an injured person in the municipality of Brejetuba. Unlike the interior of the state, the metropolitan region of Vitoria registered light rains on Saturday, February 12.

So far, there are 4 municipalities on high alert for flooding: Linhares, Colatina, Baixo Guandu and Bom Jesus do Norte. The 8 municipalities with moderate landslide risk are Apiacá, Guaçuí, Ibatiba, Ibitirama, Iúna, João Neiva, Santa Maria de Jetibá and São Mateus.

No federal highways are blocked, but a landslide partially interdicted state highway ES-181, exiting Muniz Freire, towards Alegre. The National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) issued a heavy rain warning for all of Espírito Santo until 10 AM today, February 14.