Floods caused by heavy rains in Bahia state (Brazil) killed two more people, local authorities said on Monday (December 27th). In Itabuna, uA 21-year-old man was swept away by the current and a 33-year-old woman was killed by a landslide. In total, 20 people have lost their lives in the region since the start of the very heavy rains in early November. Almost 63,000 people were also displaced during the period.
“We are living through the biggest disaster in Bahia’s history”said state governor Rui Costa, who since Saturday has been overseeing a joint operation in the affected areas with the federal government and other states. “The water is starting to decline at the source of the Cachoeira River and, although slowly, it is expected to improve in the days to come”, he also said.
Houses were under water and streets turned into rivers in several municipalities in the south of the state, affected since Thursday by heavy rainfall that caused dams to burst and rivers overflowed over the weekend. In Itapetinga, aerial images show the extent of the flooding, with houses whose water reaches up to the windows.
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The number of displaced people has almost doubled since Sunday with 62,796 people having to leave their homes according to the Civil Protection of Bahia (Sudec). In addition, 358 people have been injured since the onset of heavy rains in November. In total, it is estimated that 116 municipalities, including at least 100 in emergency situations, and 471,009 people are affected by these rains.
“There is a correlation” between the intensity of the rains in the northeast of the country and the La Niña phenomenon, which causes above-normal precipitation, estimated Estael Sias, metSul meteorologist. The equivalent of a month of water fell in some municipalities, notably in Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia, which on Friday received up to five times the historical average of 58 mm for the month of December, according to the city’s civil defense.