Intermittent rains continue to cause damage and inconvenience in Minas Gerais, where 129 of the 853 municipalities have declared an emergency situation due to the damage caused by the force of the water to the local infrastructure.
Between Friday night (6th) and today morning (7th), the state Civil Defense recorded major occurrences in at least six cities in Minas Gerais: Piranga; Astolfo Dutra; Cataguases; Pardons; Senator José Bento e Guiricema.
In Piranga, it rained, in 12 hours, the equivalent of 130 mm, which caused flooding, various material damages that are still being accounted for and the partial suspension of the water supply, in addition to leaving 86 people homeless and 33 homeless. In Astolfo Dutra, the waters of the Pomba and Paraopeba Rivers rose abruptly, overflowing and flooding various parts of the city.
In Ouro Preto, in the central region of the state, where it has also been raining for days, the municipal Civil Defense counted 313 risk areas. This morning, a landslide in Morro da Forca, in the center of the city, motivated the municipal bodies to interdict the nearby streets. There were no injuries.
In January 2022, the the same place was the scene of a landslide which hit two historic mansions and forced the evacuation of a nearby hotel. After that, the city hall hired a company to reshape the hill, which since November had been monitored by drones so that city hall technicians could define the need for new security interventions.
Since the beginning of the rainy season, in mid-September 2022, at least 14 people have died in accidents related to the storms in Minas Gerais. According to a balance that the state Civil Defense released today, 1,754 people were, at some point, homeless – that is, they had to be housed in public shelters because they had nowhere else to go. Another 7,602 people are displaced, that is, they had to temporarily go to the homes of friends, relatives, hotels or pensions.
As of Friday morning, the number of homeless reached 1,622. The number of displaced people was 7,563. The total number of people who have already been able to return to their homes has not been counted.
The registered deaths occurred in Antônio Dias (4); Grand Mughal (2); Piraúba; Bom Jesus do Galho; Santa Luzia; Vespasian; Bertópolis; Inhapim; President Bernardes and Governor Valadares.
According to the state Civil Defense, the forecast is that it will continue to rain throughout the weekend across the state. The intensity of rainfall should vary between weak and moderate, but persistently, and may cause landslides on slopes where the soil is already saturated and the gradual increase in the level of rivers and reservoirs. The National Civil Defense also warned, today, that Minas Gerais, along with the states of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, are at high probability of flooding, flooding and landslides.
