Flooding has displaced more than 11,000 people in the Brazilian state of Bahia, with authorities scrambling Saturday to provide help to those without alternative homes.
Since November, 17 people have died as a result of the severe rains, with the most recent death occurring on Thursday, according to the state’s civil protection office.
According to data issued by the agency on Friday, a total of 4,185 people were seeking refuge after heavy rains hit 19 cities across the state, including Guaratinga, Itororo, and Coaraci in the state’s south.
According to the agency, a total of 11,260 people were forced to flee their houses.
On Saturday, the Bahia and federal governments, in coordination with other states, launched a coordinated effort to mobilize personnel, aircraft, and equipment, as well as deliver help to residents in the flooded areas.
In a video message, the state’s governor, Rui Costa, said, “We are fully mobilized, taking all means to offer the essential support to the victims of the severe rains that battered Bahia this Christmas.”
The state’s infrastructure secretary reported flooding and traffic jams on 17 routes, some of which were caused by landslides and rockslides.
According to city officials in Salvador, Bahia’s capital, December rainfall totaled 250 millimeters (9.8 inches) through Friday, which is five times the historic normal.
