Searches for missing persons focus on isolated neighborhood

The task force that searches for missing people in São Sebastião, on the north coast of São Paulo, will concentrate its work today (21st) in Barra do Sahy. The neighborhood is one of the hardest hit by landslides and floods over the weekend, and, according to the state Civil Defense, has the highest number of displaced and missing people. The site is only accessed by boat or helicopter. In some spots, there is even no internet connection or cell phone signal. Some of these locations are up to 50 kilometers away from the city center.

This morning, the teams were working with the number of 40 missing and 40 dead across the region. The weekend storms left 1,700 people homeless and 766 homeless in the region.

blocked roads

Efforts are also being made to clear the region’s roads, which have had several points blocked by landslides. For these jobs, excavator machines are being used. This morning, it was possible to release a section of the Rio-Santos Highway between Boiçucanga and Camburi. Yesterday (20), the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas, said that there are indications that parts of the highway may have been completely destroyed.

On the Mogi-Bertioga Highway, the forecast is that R$ 9.4 million will need to be invested in 6 months of works to rebuild the section where the pipe that receives rainwater broke.

joint effort

Yesterday, residents of Topolândia, one of the neighborhoods that is close to the center of the municipality, worked in a joint effort to remove mud and rubble from the streets and be able to access their homes. The effort was accompanied by machines and trucks. Volunteers distributed donations and water to those involved in the activities and to families left homeless.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva he was also in the municipality and promised that houses will be built for people who have lost their homes in areas that do not have similar risks.

The National Civil Defense recognized the state of public calamity in São Sebastião, Caraguatatuba, Guarujá, Bertioga, Ilhabela and Ubatuba, the municipalities on the north coast most affected by the weekend’s rains.