Brazil - 26.8 inches of rain in 24 hours triggers floods and landslides in São Paulo, 65 killed (UPDATES)

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Mon, 20 Feb 2023 12:48 UTC

© Defesa Civil de Ubatuba

Landslide in Lagoinha, Brazil, February 2023.

The governor of São Paulo state in Brazil has declared a state of emergency after torrential rain triggered flooding and landslides in areas of the north coast of the state. Authorities said that as much as 683 mm of rain fell in Bertioga in a 24-hour period to 19 February 2023.

Governor Tarcísio de Freitas declared a state of emergency for the cities of Ubatuba, São Sebastião, Ilhabela, Caraguatatuba and Bertioga on 19 February.

As of 20 February, 36 deaths were confirmed, including 35 in São Sebastião - 31 in Barra do Sahy, two in Juquehy, one in Camburi, one in Boiçucanga - and one in Ubatuba.

Flooding and landslides have damaged homes across the region and 566 people have been displaced or made homeless. Civil Defense has distributed relief supplies in affected areas, including mattresses, blankets and food baskets. Drinking water infrastructure has been severely damaged in São Sebastião, Caraguatatuba and the municipality of Ilhabela. Drinking water is being delivered by tank trucks in areas of São Sebastião.

Dozens of roads have been washed out or blocked, causing severe transport difficulties.

More than 130 teams from the Civil Defense, Military Police, Fire Department and the Brazilian Army have been delayed to the areas, carrying out relief and search and rescue operations. Much of the work is concentrated in the region of Barra do Sahy and Camburi in São Sebastião. Around 80 more police officers are expected to be delayed on 20 February.

The government of São Paulo state said that heavy rain began on 18 February. Below are some of the highest accumulations for a 24-hour period to 19 February:

Bertioga 683 mm
Guarujá 395 mm
Santos 232 mm
São Vicente 194 mm
Cubatão 117 mm
Praia Grande 209 mm
Mongaguá 112 mm
Itanhaém 94 mm
Peruíbe 98 mm
Ubatuba 335 mm
Caraguatatuba 234 mm
Ilhabela 337 mm
São Sebastião 627 mm

This is the second severe flood event in the state in the last two weeks. Flooding affected the Greater São Paulo Region on 07 February. State news agency Agência Brasil reported one person died in flood waters in Osasco. Another person was reported missing and later found dead in floods in Parque São Lucas, in the east zone of São Paulo.

Heavy rain also has caused flooding and landslides in other areas of the state. On 13 February 2023, state Civil Protection provided an update for the period 01 December 2022 to 13 February 2023, reporting 249 rain-related incidents, 8,547 people displaced and 25 deaths.

Comment: Update February 23

The Guardian reports:

Search and rescue teams raced to find dozens of people that remained missing after heavy rains devastated coastal areas of Brazil's south-eastern São Paulo state, as the official death toll rose to 48.

"We are currently working with a tally of at least 38 missing people," the São Paulo governor, Tarcísio de Freitas, told reporters on Wednesday, as weather forecasters cautioned more rain was on its way.

© Fernando Marron

The destruction left by a landslide after torrential rain in the Barra do Sahy district of São Sebastiao, São Paulo state.

The number of casualties rose from 46 a day earlier, the São Paulo state government said in a statement. Rescue operations were continuing and firefighters, police and volunteers still hoped to find people alive in the rubble of houses slammed by the landslides. 1,730 people have been displaced and 1,810 left homeless, according to the São Paulo state government.

The city of São Sebastiao, located about 200km (124.3 miles) from São Paulo, bore the brunt of the human toll, with 47 of the reported deaths. But nearby towns such as Ilhabela, Caraguatatuba, Bertioga and Ubatuba were also heavily affected.

The state government said more rain was expected on Wednesday as a new cold front favours the formation of heavy clouds over the region, with "moderate to heavy showers" forecast to fall until early evening, after a cloudy morning.

Update February 27

Telesurenglish.net reports:

Death Toll From Brazil Landslides Rises to 65

As of Sunday, the death toll had climbed to 65 a week after heavy rains sparked deadly floods and landslides along the coast of Brazil's Sao Paulo state.

Among the fatal victims were 19 minors, the state government said, adding "the priority continues to be relief for the victims." Army troops, firefighters, volunteers and rescue workers are still digging to recover the bodies of the victims and search for people still missing.

Most of the victims lived in poor neighborhoods in high-risk areas on the slopes of the Sierra de Mar mountain range, near Barra do Sahy, a beach in Sao Sebastiao. Around 2,440 people who lost their homes had to be evacuated due to the risk of new landslides.

On Sunday, coastal roads were reopened after being closed due to landslides and storm damage. However, the highway that links Mogi da Cruzes with Bertioga in Sao Paulo state will remain closed for six months since the rains destroyed its drainage system.

On Feb. 19, the coastal cities of Bertioga, Caraguatatuba, Guaruja, Ilhabela, Sao Sebastiao and Ubatuba saw record pouring rain in Brazil in less than 24 hours.

Sao Sebastiao's beach, one of Brazil's exclusive tourism destinations, was drenched within one day with more than twice the amount of rain usually seen in February.

It is estimated that around 4 million Brazilians live in 14,000 areas which are at risk from natural disasters, according to data from the Regional Development Ministry.