Storm and Flash Floods Take Rio by Surprise, 89 Die

Citizens here were caught off guard by a storm in the late afternoon yesterday.
Storm and Flash Floods Take Rio by Surprise, 89 Die
Citizens in Rio de Janeiro were caught off guard by a storm in the late afternoon yesterday. (Vinicius Santiago/Epoch Times)
4/6/2010
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/Brazil_RioFlood-100406.jpg" alt="Citizens in Rio de Janeiro were caught off guard by a storm in the late afternoon yesterday. (Vinicius Santiago/Epoch Times)" title="Citizens in Rio de Janeiro were caught off guard by a storm in the late afternoon yesterday. (Vinicius Santiago/Epoch Times)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1821341"/></a>
Citizens in Rio de Janeiro were caught off guard by a storm in the late afternoon yesterday. (Vinicius Santiago/Epoch Times)
RIO DE JANEIRO—Citizens here were caught off guard by a storm in the late afternoon yesterday, as many were returning home from work. Within minutes a number of roads in this sprawling city were completely flooded, in particular the critical areas in the Northern Zone. The rain continued overnight and into Tuesday, with a death toll of 34 in the city proper, and in Rio de Janeiro state 89, according to the Fire Department.

Many victims of landslides are still buried and missing, with firefighters working hard to turn over the land and wreckage. Rio de Janeirans were distraught at the destruction: “The city was and continues in a state of chaos,” said nursing assistant Rita da Silva. “When I was returning from work, at around 6 p.m., I faced a flooded street with a lot of sand and garbage floating everywhere,” she said.

Those most at risk during the flooding are the city’s poor, of which there are many. Living in slums built onto unstable hillsides, called favelas, they are at the mercy of the whims of nature if and when the whole hill falls apart.

The rain reached 288 mm (11.34 inches) in 24 hours, making it the worst in the city’s history, according to Mayor Eduardo Paes, who spoke at a press conference. The mayor also requested residents of the city’s hillsides to leave their homes, for fear of destructive landslides if the soaked hills were to give way.

The state secretary of Health and Civil Defense, Sergio Cortes, said that eight firefighters were injured during the rescue of victims in the city of Niteroi. The secretary also made a plea to those in areas of risk to leave their homes immediately and call the fire brigade.

Deeds of heroism were also to be found among the bedlam. Torben Grael, a yachtsman, saved a mother and child who had been trapped in their car with a male driver amidst flooding waters in Niteroi. Their car had been swept into his backyard by the torrential waters. Grael managed to extract the child and the woman, but another falling barrier hit the car, and the driver was trapped as the car sank.

The city is on red alert, which, according to the system of alerts, is penultimate in the range of risk for storms. In a press conference the Ministry of Justice said that 40 firefighters from the National Security Force are ready to move from Brasília, another large city to the north, to Rio.

In an interview with Radio CBN, Gov. Sergio Cabral considered calling a state of disaster and emergency in the state. Schools, universities, and major public services will be closed on Wednesday, and many areas of the city remain in darkness.