The Civil Defense of Salvador, capital of Bahia, stated that December broke records in terms of accumulated rainfall compared to previous years. Between the 1st and the 26th, the rainfall station in Ondina, one of the city’s named neighborhoods and used as a reference, recorded 360.4 mm of rain accumulations – six times the normal for the period (58.1 mm).
This high made the last month of the year the wettest in Salvador since 1989, or in 32 years.
“We are on duty all day, with teams able to respond to emergencies that may be necessary due to heavy rains, monitoring the weather conditions and issuing alerts, aimed mainly at communities living in risk areas”, emphasizes the director- General of Codesal (Civil Defense of Salvador), Sosthenes Macêdo.
According to the Civil Defense Monitoring and Alert Center in Salvador, in the last 72 hours, accumulated rainfall was recorded in some parts of the city that also exceeded the historical average:
- Pau da Lima (187.6mm),
- White Castle (181mm),
- Periperi Lookout (180.6mm),
- Sete de Abril – Royal Forest (177.8mm),
- Piraja (177.8mm)
Two communities located in risk areas – Bosque Real (Seven of April) and Moscow (Castelo Branco) had the sirens of the ‘alert and alarm system’ activated by Codesal, at 9 pm yesterday (25).
“Due to the rains having surpassed the level of 150mm of accumulated in 72 hours, following the safety protocol considered of maximum alert”, affirmed the organ.
Families in these areas were evacuated to shelter at the Castelo Branco Municipal School with the help of teams from the Civil Defense of Salvador, the Secretariat for Social Promotion, Sport and Fight against Poverty (Sempre) and Education (Smed).
On site, they receive necessary assistance until the situation is considered safe so that they can return to their homes.
The Civil Defense of Salvador also stated that when it comes to rainfall, 2021 ranks as the third wettest year in the last 11 years with 2,145.4mm of accumulated rainfall so far. Above are 2011 (2,169.4mm) and 2020 (2,297.1mm).
For Monday (27), the forecast is cloudy to partially cloudy with light rain, sometimes moderate. “But the possibility of significant events is not ruled out. There is a risk of landslides”, believes the city’s Civil Defense.
rain in Bahia
The governor of Bahia, Rui Costa (PT), signed, this Sunday, a decree that puts 47 more cities in an emergency situation as a result of the heavy rains that hit the state. With the new update, there are 72 municipalities in Bahia affected by the situation.
It was also confirmed by the government that there are already 18 people dead as a result of the heavy rains that hit Bahia.
The Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga, informed on his social networks that his portfolio would send two teams to compose the Integrated Emergency Centers in Ilhéus, Itamaraju and Itabuna.
Reference: CNN Brasil
