The death toll in Petrópolis rose to 197, according to the Rio de Janeiro Military Fire Brigade this Wednesday (23). Rescue teams continue to search the city a week after the destruction caused by the storm on the 15th.
The number of missing people dropped to 69, according to Civil Police data. The number of people who receive assistance from Social Assistance is 867, informed the city of Petrópolis. 24 people were rescued alive.
The tragedy is the biggest in the history of Petrópolis, surpassing the rains of 1998, in which 134 people died after landslides and floods. In 2011, the region was also hit by strong storms, which caused 73 deaths.
The heavy rain on the 15th caused more than 1300 occurrences, most of them landslides in the city, which is in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro. Several floods also caused destruction and deaths. It rained about 260 millimeters in just six hours, the amount of rain expected for the entire month of February.
According to the monitoring of the technical team, there is still the possibility of rain in the coming days.
Civil Defense advises the population to be aware of the issuance of new warnings and, in case of emergency, call 193 (Fire Department) and 199 (Civil Defense).
Photos – Impacts of the rains in Petrópolis
Each day, 20 families will be called who have already reported disappearances in different parts of the city.
The collection of genetic material will be done at a club in the Center of Petrópolis, from 9 am to 12 pm and from 1 pm to 5 pm, strictly for those summoned by appointment. Each family that contributes DNA will receive a basic food basket.
Since November 2021, Brazil has 310 dead because of the rains. In addition to Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Espírito Santo, Piauí, Goiás and Pará recorded deaths.
197 in Rio de Janeiro (in 2022)
48 in São Paulo (34 in 2022 only)
30 in Minas Gerais (since October 2021)
27 in Bahia (adding 2021 and 2022)
3 in Pará (in 2021)
2 in Espírito Santo (in 2022)
2 in Piauí (in 2022)
1 in Goiás (in 2021)
Source: CNN Brasil
