Rains on the coast of SP killed 49 people and more than 3,500 remain homeless

The government of the state of São Paulo confirmed this Thursday (23) the death of 49 people due to the rains that hit the coastal region last weekend, 48 in São Sebastião and one in Ubatuba. According to the most recent newsletter, published mid-morning, there are still more than 3,500 people homeless or displaced across the state.

Of the 49 dead in the tragedy, 38 bodies have already been identified and released for burial. There are still 40 people missing, according to the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance (MDS).

Also according to the newsletter, teams from the municipality of São Sebastião with psychologists and social workers work to welcome the victims’ families, especially children. Hospitals in the region still have 17 people hospitalized in stable health and four have been transferred to other units of greater complexity.

The Navy’s field hospital on the Multipurpose Airship Ship Atlântico arrives in São Sebastião this Thursday (23) with doctors from various specialties and 300 hospital beds to assist victims. The vessel also carries 180 marines specialized in rescue and clearing operations to assist in the search for the missing.

The highways that arrive and leave Baixada Santistas follow with a total blockage point, on the SP-098 Mogi-Bertioga, and 14 partial blockages on the SP-055 and SP-125. The roads leading to the capital of São Paulo continue without interdiction, but with points of slowness on Castello Branco-Raposo Tavares, Anhanguera-Bandeirantes and Ayrton Senna-Carvalho Pinto.

Social benefits will be anticipated

The federal government confirmed, this Thursday morning (23), that social benefits such as retirement, pension, welfare and Bolsa Família will have advance payments in March for families who are victims of the rains in cities that have declared a situation of calamity, such as Guarujá, Bertioga, São Sebastião, Caraguatatuba, Ilhabela and Ubatuba.

Wellington Dias, Minister of Development and Social Assistance, said that the March Bolsa Família payment “will be unified, made on the 20th for all families in the affected municipalities and with an emergency and calamity decree”.

The Ministry of Social Security reported that the benefits paid by the INSS will be available from March 27th. However, the anticipation needs to be notified to the bank by the beneficiary, between March 17th and 20th.

“It is an incalculable social and economic loss. The MDS adds to the actions of Health, Defense, National Integration and Civil Defense, in addition to other areas of the Federal Government, integrated with the state government and municipal governments, entities and private donors”, said the minister.

Resources for reconstruction

This Wednesday afternoon (22), the Minister of Integration and Regional Development, Waldez Góes, said that there are guaranteed resources in the ministry’s budget allocation to help the municipalities affected by the rains. According to him, more than R$ 7 million have already been released immediately for humanitarian assistance to São Sebastião.

Still according to the minister, more resources should be released as the ministry receives the demands of the municipalities. “There will be no lack of budget, there will be no lack of resources. We are with what we have. If, in the future, in view of the situations that may occur in other regions, there is a need for some Provisional Measure, President Lula has already said that he has authorized the economic team to take the necessary measures”, he added.

The minister also said that there is already a mapping of 14,000 points at risk of landslides in the country, where four million people live. According to Góes, there is an intention to reactivate the PAC slopes, a project aimed at preventing situations similar to the one this weekend.

“The PAC slopes was a project he created and was demobilized in the last four years. We found in the PAC slopes R$ 1.6 billion contracted and only R$ 2.7 million of budget appropriation. President Lula recomposed the PAC slopes, the entire prevention part, and endowed the Ministry of Cities with R$10 billion for housing,” he said.