According to a report by the Civil Defense, at least 64 people have already died in rain-related accidents and the number of people forced to leave their homes has risen to 18,678 in 132 municipalities.
On Monday, Jan 25, the city of Itapevi was practically cut off from the rest of the state when the main road, the SP-29, connecting it to the Castelo Branco highway was closed after a bridge on the road was washed away carrying with it a car that belonged to the state Highway Department.
The department was examining the bridge to see if it was safe. The two department inspectors who were in the car were slightly injured.
The weather forecast for São Paulo is not promising. The sun managed to shine through the clouds in the early morning, but the sky did darken by noon and there was more rainfall in the afternoon.
There was heavy rainfall in the city of São Paulo and the following areas of the country: the southern parts of the states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, Triângulo Mineiro, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Amazonas, Tocantins, Acre, Rondônia, Pará, Maranhão, Piauí and the eastern part of Mato Grosso.
Civil Defense authorities warn that there are now 26 areas in the city of São Paulo in danger due to the possibility of landslides. The warning comes after days of heavy rains in the capital and other parts of the state. Rains have been falling now, every single day, since December 23. This means 36 days of rains.
The landslide alert is for the following neighborhoods: Perus, Pirituba, Freguesia, Casa Verde, Santana, Jaçanã, Butantã, Lapa, Campo Limpo, M’Boi Mirim, Capela do Socorro, Parelheiros, Cidade Ademar, Santo Amaro, Jabaquara, Ipiranga, Penha, Ermelino Matarazzo, São Miguel Paulista, Itaim Paulista, Itaquera, Cidade Tiradentes, São Mateus, Guaianases, Vila Prudente and Aricanduva.
Meanwhile, Civil Defense also warns of the danger of flooding in the following areas: Capela do Socorro, Aricanduva, Vila Formosa, Campo Limpo, Butantã, Vila Prudente, M’Boi Mirim, São Mateus, Parelheiros and Ipiranga