Heavy rain triggers landslides in Brazil, killing at least 100
Deadly landslides have upended lives in Brazil's northeastern state of Pernambuco after torrential rain caused extensive damage and significant flooding over the past week. According to Al Jazeera, at least 100 people have been killed and more than a dozen are missing as the rain continues.
AccuWeather meteorologists warn that the rain will likely not let up anytime soon, which could halt search and rescue operations.
"Through the rest of the week, it looks like there will be frequent showers and thunderstorms across northeast Brazil, which could spark more flooding," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty. "It does look like a small shift in the overall pattern can bring slightly drier weather next week, but isolated showers would remain possible."
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Firefighters carry a body recovered from a landslide triggered by heavy rain in the Jardim Monte Verde neighborhood of Recife in Pernambuco state, Brazil, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Landslides killed at least 84 people in the State of Pernambuco, according to authorities, and more than 1,000 people have been forced from their homes. (AP Photo/Joao Carlos Mazella) |
In Recife, one of the hardest-hit towns in Pernambuco, 15.75 inches (400.05 mm) of rain has fallen during May, completely shattering the average of 12.54 inches (318.52 mm). Douty said the majority of the rain has fallen within the past week, with 11.43 inches (290.32 mm) of rain being measured since last Monday.
In the city of Recife and surrounding neighborhoods, shantytowns are often built on hillsides, which are prone to collapse, especially when there is an abundance of rainfall. According to The Associated Press, about 32,000 families in Pernambuco live in these areas that are most at risk. Already, just under 4,000 families have lost their homes and have been rendered homeless.
According to Reuters, schools in Recife have opened to provide shelter to the homeless.
President Jair Bolsonaro and the ministers of state gave a press conference on Monday to discuss assistance actions in Recife. According to the Brazilian government officials, more than 400 military personnel have been deployed to provide relief in support of the civil defense and local security agencies.
Teams from the Ministry of Regional Development and the Armed Forces will be sent to Pernambuco and the neighboring state of Alagoas for "relief and humanitarian assistance," according to a tweet from Bolsonaro.
Residents have only just begun to pick up the pieces and gather information on loved ones before more rain moves in. One resident, Flavio Jose da Silva, has been looking desperately for his stepfather, Gilvan, in the rubble that once made up his house.
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A woman stands on a bus stop bench as a driver of a Volkswagen van navigates a flooded street in Recife, State of Pernambuco, Brazil, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Marlon Costa/Futura Press) |
Silva said shortly after the house collapsed, he heard Gilvan say, "I'm here, under the ground."
"We hope to find him alive," Silva told AFP as he stood in front of a mountain of debris.
Another Brazil resident, Luiz Estevao Aguiar, told AFP he was trying to cope with the loss of 11 family members after the floods swept through his community.
"My sister, my brother-in-law, 11 people from my family died. It was difficult... I did not expect this," Aguiar said.
Over the past five months, four major floods have decimated communities across Brazil. In February, a massive flood killed more than 230 people near Rio di Janerio in southern Brazil.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls credits the steady supply of rainfall in Brazil to the upper-level jet stream and higher-than-normal ocean temperatures.
The amount of water vapor over a body of water is directly linked to water temperature. So with higher ocean temperatures, more water vapor is readily available. The stronger-than-average winds then help transport that moist air from the ocean to areas in Brazil, where it falls as heavy rain, according to Nicholls.
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