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The Brazilian state of Bahia has been suffering from storms that led to floods for weeks. Now two dams broke, 60 places are under water.
Salvador da Bahia, Brazil – Storms have been raging in the Brazilian state of Bahia since November, causing floods and landslides. After further, persistent rainfalls, two dams broke on the weekend, on Sunday around 60 places were under water. It is the worst storm in the region for more than 30 years.
Bahia State Governor: “Saving lives is a priority!”
After several weeks of storms and long, heavy rain, two dams broke in the state of Bahia over the weekend. Around 60 places were under water on Sunday, as the administrations of the affected communities in the east of the country announced. This is the worst flooding in the region in over 30 years. About ten other dams are now being checked more closely, said the Brazilian media, referring to information from the local fire department.
In the social media, the residents around the dams were called to get to safety. People would be rescued with helicopters and boats, wrote the Governor of Bahia, Rui Costa, on Twitter on Sunday. “At the moment, the priority is to save lives,” says Rui Costa. He declared a state of emergency in 72 towns in the state. On Monday, Costa announced that an improvement was expected in the next few days. The water level in the mouth of the Cachoeira River is already beginning to drop – albeit slowly, tweeted Costa. But the all-clear cannot yet be given, according to meteorologists. They expect more rains in the coming week.
20,000 people left homeless, 11,000 rescued on Christmas Eve
At least 18 people have died as a result of the storms and their consequences since November, and around 20,000 people have become homeless. This was announced by the Brazilian media and based, among other things, on the information provided by the civil defense of Bahia. A total of 430,000 people are affected by the storms. On Christmas Eve alone, the emergency services rescued 11,000 people, many of whom had to spend the holidays in emergency shelters, as reported by the AFP news agency.
“Here in southern Bahia the world is ending and nobody sees us,” 24-year-old Lorena Vicente told the newspaper O Globo about the situation in Bahia. The capital Salvador of the state of Bahia is also a popular destination for tourists. Bahia is located in the northeast of the country, is roughly the size of France and borders the Atlantic coast. The weekend’s dam breaks also bring back dramatic memories. In 2019, around 260 people were killed when a dam broke in Brumadinho in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. (bm with material from dpa and afp)
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