This content was published on February 26, 2023 – 3:44 p.m. February 26, 2023 – 3:44 p.m
Brasilia, February 26 (EFE).- This Sunday, the Brazilian authorities found another five bodies among the damage left by the rain that hit the coast of Sao Paulo a week ago, bringing the total number of deaths to 64 increased, and there is still one gone
The Sao Paulo regional government said in a statement that the last five victims were found in Sao Sebastiao, the city hardest hit by the storms that ravaged this tourist region sandwiched between the sea and a mountain range last weekend.
Also in a modest Sao Sebastiao neighborhood this Sunday, rescue workers searched for the last missing person, who they feared was the victim of a landslide caused by the rains in a mountainous region that has been occupied erratically in recent decades, despite construction risk .
The regional government said 55 of the 64 dead had been identified so far, 20 men, 17 women and 18 children.
All deaths were registered in Sao Sebastiao, except for one, which occurred in the neighboring town of Ubatuba.
Authorities said that a week after the disaster and with searches almost complete, “the priority now is to help victims’ families” and to care for 2,440 people who have lost their homes or had to leave them because they didn’t have them are in “unstable” areas that still pose “high risks”.
These people remain temporarily housed in shelters, churches, schools and gyms in Sao Sebastiao, Ubatuba and four other cities, where they are cared for by armed forces and city government personnel.
The rains began on the night of Saturday, February 18, and punished the entire coast of Sao Paulo for almost 48 hours, at a time when this region was full of tourists and most of Brazil was devoted to the most popular carnival celebrations in the country
The federal government, in cooperation with Sao Paulo authorities, has allocated significant grants to the region, some of which will focus on building homes in safe locations that will benefit those who have lost their homes.
A Navy aircraft carrier, which has been serving as a floating hospital since last Thursday and has 300 beds and fifty doctors, has also been transferred to the area and anchored off the coast of Sao Sebastiao, which has eased the situation in the overcrowded health centers out of town. EFE
ed/rrt
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