Last Friday, around four in the afternoon, it became so dark in São Paulo that it seemed like night had fallen. In reality, it was a storm of special virulence, with heavy rain and winds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour, which has caused the death of seven people in addition to very serious material damage in the most populated city in Latin America. A new extreme climate phenomenon. This Monday, three days after the storm, half a million residents are still without electricity supply in São Paulo and 24 other metropolitan municipalities, according to the Enel company. The blackout affected 3.7 million people. Classes have been suspended in the neighborhoods most affected by the gale that swept away hundreds of trees that, when they fell, blocked hundreds of streets.
The victims lost their lives when they were hit by trees or by walls that collapsed due to the force of the gusts of wind. Two died in the city, the rest in surrounding municipalities. Enel estimates that supply will be completely restored this Tuesday.
Extreme climatic phenomena are multiplying in Brazil, as in other countries, aggravated this year by the El Niño effect, which during the month of October has caused a historic drought around the Amazon River, as well as very heavy rains in the border region with Argentina or a category 5 hurricane in Acapulco (Mexico).
Some of the affected São Paulo residents loudly celebrated the return of electricity to their homes, according to tweeter Tiago Scheuer with irony. “World Cup final? No, it’s just the electricity that returns to the neighborhood 53h13 minutes later! Surreal!”, he congratulated himself on Sunday.
Surreal was also the adjective chosen by Gabriela Lotta, another X user who complained of suffering such havoc “in a metropolis like São Paulo.” By the way, the richest city in the region.
While hundreds of thousands of people were losing the food stored in the refrigerators and making a living to take a hot shower or cook in the homes of relatives, the mayor, Ricardo Nunes, was at the Interlagos circuit, enjoying Formula 1. Nunes He intends to be re-elected within a year.
The mayor of São Paulo explained this Monday that they have already managed to remove more than 170 fallen trees, but there are still about 125 that still block streets. They are waiting for the electricity company to cut the supply to safely remove them. A dozen schools remain closed.
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