Rains in MG leave at least 24 dead; nearly 29,000 left their homes

The number of deaths due to the rains in Minas Gerais reached 24. In the last 24 hours alone, five new deaths were recorded, according to the Civil Defense released this Wednesday (12).

Across the state, there are 3,992 homeless, who lost their homes, and 24,610 homeless people, who had to leave their homes without knowing when they would return. The Civil Defense also said that there are 341 municipalities in emergency.

The ten deaths recorded last Saturday (8) during the collapse of a rock in Capitólio are not part of the count.

Among the latest victims of the rains is a 55-year-old man who died buried after having his house hit by a landslide in Ouro Preto on Monday (10).

In Perdigão, also on Monday, the bodies of two women who had their car washed away by the flood were located. They were 55 and 79 years old.

In both Ouro Preto and Perdigão, the victims had been missing since Saturday (8).

In Santana do Riacho, on Tuesday (11), a 34-year-old man was killed by lightning while climbing Morro da Pedreira, in the Serra do Cipó region. On the same day, a man, whose age was not revealed, died after being hit by the wall after a windstorm.

Care during the rainy season

The Civil Defense requests that the population be informed through text messages that are sent daily with weather alerts.

To register for the service, it is necessary to send an SMS to the number 40199, informing the zip code of the desired residence or location.

“We are issuing alerts so that the riverside population and people who live in risk areas leave their homes, go to relatives’ houses or to safe places. In this way, we are able to prevent people from being affected, minimizing possible damage and tragedies. It is a very difficult situation, but the moment is to save lives”, explains the state coordinator of Civil Defense, Colonel Osvaldo de Souza Marques.

During lightning storms, people should seek shelter immediately, ruling out areas near trees and poles. Due to their high height, they can attract discharges and electrocute those nearby. If there are broken wires on the floor, do not touch or approach.

Electrical equipment in homes must be unplugged. Cell phones should only be used without being plugged in with the charger.

Reference: CNN Brasil

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