Rain on the north coast of SP causes flooding and roadblocks

The intense and persistent rains that hit the north coast of the state of São Paulo since Saturday night (18) caused roadblocks, collapse of barriers, floods, landslides, landslides, and affect the water supply in the region. So far, two deaths have been registered: a child in Ubatuba and a woman in São Sebastião.

In São Sebastião, the city hall canceled the entire carnival schedule scheduled for today and declared a state of public calamity, informed Agência Brasil. According to the municipal administration, the city recorded 600 mm of rain in the last 24 hours – the historical average for the entire month of February is 229 mm – and is facing occurrences of landslides, landslides and flooding. According to Mayor Felipe Augusto (PSDB) a 40-year-old woman died in the municipality due to heavy rains.

Tourists and residents are advised to only leave their homes in an emergency. The City Hall opened six schools to receive families displaced by the heavy rains. The municipality’s Social Fund is receiving donations to distribute to affected families: personal hygiene items, cleaning products and food.

The governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), is in São Sebastião and should visit other locations in the region. “On the way to Ubatuba and São Sebastião, some of the cities most affected by the heavy rains on the North Coast, to see the affected places up close and provide the necessary protection and support to the municipalities. The entire Civil Defense team of the State of SP in action in assistance to the population”, said the governor in the twitter earlier.

“The State Civil Defense Coordination has set up a committee to manage actions to assist the homeless and displaced by the rains. Six State Civil Defense teams are already on the move to the municipality of São Sebastião, which has declared a public calamity”, said the government of São Paulo. state, note.

The Minister of Integration and Regional Development, Waldez Góes, is also expected to visit the areas affected by the rain on the north coast of São Paulo, CNN Brasil reported.

In Ubatuba, the city hall informed that, this morning, there were 15 flooded streets in the city. Sections of the Rio-Santos highway, which crosses the municipality, were closed in both directions due to falling barriers. A 7-year-old child died early this Sunday (19) as a result of a landslide in the municipality.

According to the Fire Department, a rock hit the house where the minor was. Death was confirmed on site by a doctor from the Mobile Emergency Care Service (Samu). The occurrence was attended by two teams of firefighters.

The city still faces problems in the water supply. According to the Basic Sanitation Company of the State of São Paulo (Sabesp), responsible for supplying the municipality, the heavy rains compromised the quality of the water from the source where the collection that supplies the region is made. Forty neighborhoods in Ubatuba were affected.

“Water treatment had to be stopped due to the large amount of branches, mud and stones. The company operates on a reduced basis and teams are working to normalize the supply systems, remembering that properties without a water tank may experience a shortage,” Sabesp said in a note.

In Caraguatatuba, according to the Civil Defense, in the last 12 hours, the accumulated rainfall recorded was 232 millimeters – the historical average for the entire month of February is 287.4 mm in the city. According to the city hall, the city has 15 homeless people, welcomed by the municipal administration, and 44 displaced people, who went to relatives.

The Tamoios Concessionaire, which manages the main highway in the region, which connects the coast to the plateau area, informed that Serra Antiga is closed due to the volume of rains. Serra Nova operates on a train system with a stop and go system towards the coast and Vale do Paraíba. The municipality of Bertioga was also affected by a large volume of rain, with more than 600 mm recorded in the last 24 hours.

According to São Paulo government these were the highest volumes of rain accumulated in the last 24 hours: Bertioga 683mm, Guarujá 395mm, Santos 232mm, São Vicente 194mm, Cubatão 117mm, Praia Grande 209mm, Mongaguá 112mm, Itanhaém 94mm, Peruíbe 98mm, Ubatuba 335mm, Caraguatatuba 234mm, Ilhabela 337mm , and São Sebastião 627mm.

The Civil Defense recommends that the population avoid moving to the north coast region of the state until the situation is back to normal. “I call attention to the serious situation caused by the impact of the rains on the North Coast. Civil Defense and DER-SP [estão] mobilized and acting quickly to ensure everyone’s safety. Avoid moving to the affected places and follow the networks of the Government of São Paulo with information in real time”, said Tarcísio in the social media.

“More than 100 military police from the Fire Department work in São Sebastião and Ubatuba. The teams have 17 vehicles and the support of seven Eagle helicopters. Brazilian Army aircraft will also be used in rescue actions”, informed the state government.