Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




SHAKE AND BLOW
84 killed, 54,000 evacuated in Brazil flooding
by Staff Writers
Sao Paulo (AFP) Nov 25, 2008


Waters of the overflowed Itajay river almost reach the Itajay cathedral, some 200 km from Florianopolis in southern Brazil, on November 25, 2008. Authorities in Brazil raised to 65 the number of people killed in weekend flooding and landslides in the southern state of Santa Catarina. The heaviest precipitation the region had seen in more than a quarter of century also forced 44,000 people from their homes, many of which were still submerged in water and mud, according to the Civil Defense service. Photo courtesy AFP.

At least 84 people have been killed and more than 54,000 forced to flee by flooding from heavy rain that has pounded southern Brazil for nearly two months, regional Civil Defense officials said Tuesday.

With the latest figures released Tuesday the death toll climbed from 67 to 84, and the number of evacuees from 52,000 to more than 54,000.

The region faces "the worst weather tragedy in history," Santa Catarina Governor Luiz Henrique da Silveira told reporters on Monday.

Making matters worse, torrential rain hitting the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina actually has intensified in recent days, officials said.

Civil Defense workers, firefighters, soldiers and police across the area have been busy for weeks rescuing people trapped by the flooding.

Civil Defense officials also said the death toll could rise considerably as casualty reports come in from rural areas.

More than 1.5 million people have been affected by the heavy rains, and eight cities remained cut off by waters and blocked roads. The region has been under a state of emergency since Saturday.

The most heavily affected towns are Ilhota (population 22,000, 18 dead) and the tourist town of Blumenau (population 297,000, 20 dead) where many German immigrants settled.

The head of Santa Catarina Civil Defense operations, Marcio Alves, said that most people were killed by landslides. "Most deaths happen when the rain stops and people go out believing that all is well," he said.

Another Civil Defense official, Robert Guimaraes, said "nearly 80 percent of the region is under water," though levels were dropping.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has ordered six military helicopters and 350 soldiers to the area to help in relief operations.

The latest flooding resulted from freak rains on Sunday that delivered a month's amount of precipitation in just five hours.

Boats were the only means of transport in many areas, and witnesses spoke of the bodies of dozens of drowned cows littering the road near Blumenau.

"We heard people crying for help. We also heard explosions. With the ground saturated, several gas pipelines exploded," one Santa Catarina resident forced to leave her home, Beatriz Heusi, 30, told AFP by telephone.

More than 160,000 people were without electricity and fresh water supplies were cut to several towns.

Other southern Brazilian states, principally Rio Grande do Sul and Espirito Santo were affected to a lesser extent by flooding and mudslides.

.


Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








SHAKE AND BLOW
Flash Before The Flood
Tel Aviv, Israel (SPX) Nov 24, 2008
Flash floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States, and because of their unpredictability they're the leading weather-related cause of death for Americans. They usually arrive with little or no warning, but a Tel Aviv University researcher is trying to predict where and when they will occur using lightning. Prof. Colin Price, coordinator of the international "Flash ... read more


SHAKE AND BLOW
Chandrayaan-1 Starts Observations Of The Moon

Racers Get Ready! NASA's Great Moonbuggy Registration Begins

Scientists warm to possibility of moon ice

Chandrayaan Terrain Mapping Camera Sends Pictures

SHAKE AND BLOW
Solar Wind Rips Up Martian Atmosphere

Solar Wind Rips Up Martian Atmosphere

Mars Express Observes Aurorae On The Red Planet

NASA Spacecraft Detects Buried Glaciers On Mars

SHAKE AND BLOW
Solving The Problems Of Garbage In Space

Kazakhstan To Fund ISS Flight For Homegrown Astronaut

Kazakh Astronaut To Fly To ISS, Russian Hopeful Grounded

Space Researchers Developing Tool To Help Disoriented Pilots

SHAKE AND BLOW
Damaged Nigerian satellite can't be recovered: officials

The Chinese Space Industry Set For Take Off

China Puts Two Satellites Into Orbit

Souped-Up Rockets For Shenzhou

SHAKE AND BLOW
ESA wants International Space Station to live longer

Endeavour astronauts finish fourth and last spacewalk

Russian Space Freighter Set To Test New Flight Software

Endeavour astronauts start fourth, final spacewalk

SHAKE AND BLOW
South Korea To Launch Maritime Weather Satellite Next Year

Sea Launch Partners With Intelsat On Multi-Launch Agreement

Ariane-5 With 2 satellites To Lift Off From Kourou Center December 11

HOT BIRDT 9 Starts Its Integration With Ariane 5

SHAKE AND BLOW
Beta Pictoris Planet Finally Imaged

New Planet Orbiting Dangerously Close To Giant Star

Seeing A Distant Planet

Hubble Snaps Exoplanet Orbiting Nearby Star

SHAKE AND BLOW
Please don't litter space, scientists say

Eliminating Space Debris Part Two

Hollywood moguls see cinema's future in 3D

Thales To Provide The Amos-4 Ground Mission Segment To IAI




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement