Tornadoes, Storms Kill 2 in Santa Catarina

Weather: Brazil

Residents of Chapecó, in western Santa Catarina, were asked on Thursday to leave broken roof tiles outside their homes for collection after tornadoes and storms struck on Tuesday and Wednesday. Two people have died, and 23 municipalities have declared an emergency.

Santa Catarina is a state of southern Brazil, known to Americans for Florianópolis, its beaches and the Oktoberfest in Blumenau. It is also a large exporter of poultry and pork, so storm damage there matters beyond Brazil.

What We Know

The state Civil Defence agency, known as Defesa Civil, confirmed two tornadoes, in Chapecó and Xanxerê. The Chapecó tornado struck on Wednesday morning, 4 November, and the two towns lie less than 50 kilometres (about 31 miles) apart.

Inmet, Brazil’s national weather institute, recorded gusts of 126 km/h (about 78 mph) in Chapecó. A state Civil Defence station in Xanxerê recorded at least 80 km/h (about 50 mph).

Jonathan Oliveira da Cruz, 20, died after the roof over the pump area of a fuel station on highway BR-280, a main road in the state, fell in the wind on Wednesday afternoon. He worked at the station in the Vila Nova district of Rio Negrinho, in the north of the state.

The station’s operator, the fuel station chain Rede de Postos M7, said in a statement that he was part of its team. Rio Negrinho, a town in the north of the state, also reported storm damage.

The second victim is a 46-year-old woman from Xanxerê, whose name has not been released. She was electrocuted on Wednesday 4 November after contact with a broken high-voltage cable lying in the street.

Firefighters were called at about 19:30 and found her without vital signs. The local power company was asked to cut power to that stretch, and Civil Defence confirmed her death on Thursday.

By Wednesday night, 20 municipalities had declared an emergency, and Civil Defence raised the number to 23 on Thursday. Damage has been reported in at least 92 municipalities.

Civil Defence counted about 4,600 homes damaged or affected in one update and 5,358 in a later one. About half of the damage is in Chapecó.

The figures changed as counts were updated, and they may change again. The number of displaced people staying with relatives or friends went from 144 to 252, while those in public shelters went from 44 to 56.

Chapecó Begins Repairs

Chapecó’s airport was damaged and is closed indefinitely while its operator assesses the harm. Flights were cancelled.

Chapecó’s municipal schools were suspended. State schools were also suspended on Wednesday and Thursday, and classes are expected to resume on Friday 6 November.

Of the city’s health units, only the Centro de Saúde Seminário remained closed on Thursday. Six others had problems with electricity or internet.

Chapecó’s mayor said in a video that more than 1,500 families had collected tarpaulins to cover their roofs. The city bought roof tiles, and Civil Defence donated more, with distribution starting on Thursday.

The city opened an online registration for residents with damaged homes. It asked people to put debris and broken tiles in front of their homes for collection.

Thursday was expected to be stable across the state, but storms could return on Friday 6 November and over the weekend. Inmet also issued storm and cyclone alerts for the Southeast and Centre-West of Brazil on Thursday, outside Santa Catarina.

What Is Not Known

Civil Defence has not said whether tornadoes also hit other towns. Rio Negrinho reported damage, but the cause there has not been described as a tornado.

We have seen no total for the cost of the damage. The final numbers of damaged homes, displaced people and sheltered residents are also unclear, because counts are still moving.

It is not known when Chapecó’s airport will reopen. The operator had given no date in the sources we reviewed.

What It Means for Travelers and US Readers

Americans in southern Brazil may want to check local conditions, since storms could return on Friday and over the weekend. Chapecó, where much of the damage is, lies in the west of the state and not on the coast.

Chapecó’s airport is closed, so anyone planning to fly there should contact their airline. We have not seen a travel advisory linked to these storms.

Santa Catarina is a large exporter of poultry and pork. We found no report of disruption to farms, plants or shipments, and it is too early to say whether exports will be affected.

The first tasks set out by officials are covering roofs and clearing debris. More figures are expected as Civil Defence updates its counts, and our Brazil page will carry further coverage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened in Santa Catarina?

Storms hit the Brazilian state on 3 and 4 November. Civil Defence confirmed two tornadoes, in Chapecó and Xanxerê, in the west of the state, and damage was reported in at least 92 municipalities.

Who died in the storms?

Jonathan Oliveira da Cruz, 20, a fuel station employee in Rio Negrinho, was struck by a falling roof. A woman from Xanxerê, whose name was not released, was electrocuted by a broken high-voltage cable.

How many places declared an emergency?

Twenty municipalities had declared an emergency by Wednesday night. Civil Defence raised the number to 23 on Thursday 5 November.

Will more storms hit Santa Catarina?

Thursday was expected to be stable. Storms could return on Friday 6 November and over the weekend, according to the forecast reported by the authorities.