The heavy rains that have hit several regions of Bahia since last weekend continue to cause damage in several cities, especially in the north, south, southwest and west of the state. Between the night of Wednesday (15) and Thursday (16), strong storms resulted in flooding, floods and flooding of buildings, in addition to leaving several locations isolated.
According to the State Civil Protection and Defense Superintendency (Sudec), to date, 14 municipalities in Bahia have declared an emergency. Among those most affected are Itajuípe, Aurelino Leal, Ubatã and Coaraci. Some of these cities have already received humanitarian aid from the state government, while others are awaiting support to face the crisis caused by the rains.
emergency aid
The governor of Bahia, Jerônimo Rodrigues (PT), carried out this Thursday (16) a flight over the cities of Ubatã, Aurelino Leal and Itajuípe, located in the south of the state, which have faced landslides, flooding and house collapses since the last Saturday (11). During the visit, he announced emergency support actions, such as the delivery of ambulances, medicines and emergency kits, in addition to providing resources for the recovery of affected families.
In Itajuípe, the impact of the rains was intense. At least 287 people are homeless and are being sheltered in temporary shelters. The city recorded 53 millimeters of rain between Wednesday and Thursday. The state government distributed basic food baskets, mattresses, blankets and hygiene kits to affected families, in addition to studying areas for the construction of housing units for flood victims.
“We will need to build some housing units, because people lost their homes and there are places that are on slopes. So, we will have to contain slopes as well. I am already leaving here with the commitment to make a technical report for medium-term actions, but now, we are here with Firefighters, Civil Defense, with a mission to not leave these municipalities alone”, explained the governor.
In the city of Aurelino Leal, which also declared an emergency, 1,800 people are homeless and around 4,600 were directly affected by the storms. In Ubatã, 257 people were displaced and 37 were injured as a result of landslides and flooding. The state government has been monitoring the situation in these and other affected municipalities to ensure that help arrives quickly.
Infrastructures and risk areas
The situation is especially critical in hillside areas and on the state’s highways, where landslides and flooding have disrupted traffic. BA-262, which connects Itajuípe to Coaraci, for example, was closed due to a landslide that affected energy and internet supply in the region.
In addition to immediate humanitarian support, the Bahian government is adopting a medium and long-term approach to restructuring affected cities, including slope containment projects.
To date, the following municipalities in Bahia have declared an emergency situation:
- Jaguaquara
- Maiquinique
- Itajuípe
- Blue Forest
- Coaraci
- Aurelino Leal
- Firmino Alves
- Rio Real
- Itororó
- Itambe
- Itapebi
- Ubatã
- Swallow
- Saint Dominic
In a statement, the State Civil Defense Superintendency (Sudec) reported that it has been working to coordinate relief efforts for victims and restore normality in the affected areas.
For this Friday, the weather forecast indicates the possibility of irregular rain. The minimum temperature in Salvador and the region is 25.7°C and the maximum is 27.1°C. The chance of rain is 88%.
This content was originally published in Rain causes destruction in Bahia; 14 municipalities declare an emergency on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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