The number of deaths in the storms on the coast of São Paulo rises to 48

The government of São Paulo confirmed, this Wednesday morning (22), the death of 48 people in the storms that hit the coast of the state since the weekend. There are 47 victims in São Sebastião and one in Ubatuba, with 26 bodies already identified and released for burial.

The Civil Defense also located a victim of a landslide in the city of Mauá, in the metropolitan region of São Paulo. Across the state there are still 2,493 displaced or homeless people.

There are still 38 missing people who, according to Governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), are being sought in areas where “people report a different odor”.

The Secretary of State for Health also informs that 28 adults and six children who were victims of the rains were treated so far at the Hospital Regional do Litoral Norte (HRLN). Of this total, 10 are in serious condition and 18 stable. A Marina ship with a field hospital is on its way to São Sebastião to assist in the care of those affected by the rains, and should dock in the city’s port on Thursday (23).

The state of São Paulo still has four stretches of roads with total closures and 15 partial ones on the SP-055, SP-098 and SP-125. The main access roads from the capital of São Paulo to the Baixada and the interior remain free, such as Anchieta-Imigrantes, Tamoios, Castello Branco-Raposo Tavares, Anhanguera-Bandeirantes and Ayrton Senna.

Restoring damage to cities

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), who was in the region at the beginning of the week, will meet this Wednesday (22) with ministers and government agencies to discuss new measures to support cities and help families who were victims of the late storms. of week.

At 3 pm, Lula will meet with the Ministers of Transport, Cities, Integration and Regional Development and with the Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Gabriel Galípolo, among others. Following, he will also have an agenda with the ministers of Development and Social Assistance, Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture, and with Edegar Pretto, president of the National Supply Company.

Also in the afternoon, Minister Marina Silva, of the Environment and Climate Change, will go to São Sebastião to verify the damage caused by the rains and discuss measures to aid and prevent new disasters.

According to Tarcísio de Freitas, “prevention measures will be discussed, how we are going to make the structure of cities more resilient in these events that will surely be more and more frequent. We had the biggest rain ever recorded, it never rained so much”.

The president of Caixa Econômica Federal, Rita Serrano, said earlier that the bank is already in contact with the city halls to “speed up the release of the FGTS calamity withdrawal for workers”. The withdrawal will be aimed at residents of the cities of São Sebastião, Ubatuba, Bertioga, Guarujá, Ilha Bela and Caraguatatuba.

In an interview with CNN Brasil, the Minister of Integration and Regional Development, Waldez Góes, said that a task force was set up to assist the affected municipalities and that R$ 7 million will be transferred to the municipality of São Sebastião.

The resources, he says, will be applied on three work fronts. “Assistance, which we are releasing in addition to what was released at first; restoration, cleaning and clearing costs; and reconstruction, housing that people lost, the Civil Defense can rebuild,” he said.

Still according to the minister, the federal government can issue a provisional measure to release more resources if necessary.

Góes also explained that, across the country, there are 14,000 points at risk of landslides that need to be monitored and residents evacuated.

“These points mapped by the national Civil Defense are home to almost four million people. We must now have preventive projects such as Minha Casa Minha Vida, which is fundamental for prevention”, he said.

According to him, this will be one of the focuses of work with the Ministry of Cities to remove people who live in risk areas.

Justice authorizes removal of residents from risk areas

Still this Wednesday morning (22), the Justice of Caraguatatuba authorized the removal of residents from risk areas in the region to shelters maintained by the state. The decision came after a request made by the Attorney General of the State of São Paulo and the municipality of São Sebastião.

In the order of Judge Paulo Guilherme de Faria, the measure is preventive and provisional, and should cease as soon as the climate situation is favorable. “It should be warned that the right to housing cannot exceed the rights to life, health and safety”, cites the decision, and that the continuation of the rains “may cause more landslides, putting professionals who work in searches and residents who remain in risk areas”.

The injunction to remove residents from risk areas covers the locations of Boiçucanga, Juquehy, Cambury, Barra do Sahy, Maresias, Paúba, Toque Toque Pequeno, Barra do Una, Barequeçaba, Varadouro, Itatinga, Olaria, Topolândia, Morro do Abrigo, Enseada and Jaraguá, and other areas that can be identified and included in this list.

Tarcísio de Freitas said, in the morning, that the action was suggested for the Justice to allow “as a last resort, the removal against the will of the people”. “Obliging is very complicated, so let’s come with social assistance trying to convince the person to leave. We are going to use all the arguments, show the risk, welcome, protect the heritage and, as a last resort, we will carry out the compulsory removal”, he added.

The state government declared a state of public calamity in the municipalities affected by the rains. There are more than a thousand professionals working in the search for the missing.

Petrobras donates food and water to victims

Petrobras informed, this Wednesday morning (22nd), that it is donating 1,300 liters of mineral water, 600 liters of milk, 100 packages of powdered milk, 120 packages of chocolate milk and various hygiene items to the city of São Paulo. Sebastião through the subsidiary Transpetro. Another 300 liters of water were sent to the municipality of Camburi.

The state-owned company also said that the helipad at the São Sebastião unit continues to serve as a support point for the authorities, for the use of emergency teams and that 15,000 liters of aviation fuel have been made available so far to supply the aircraft that are rescuing victims.

The company also informs that it is mobilizing resources to donate basic food baskets, mattresses and supply items to the community; and launched a volunteering campaign so that Transpetro and Petrobras employees also contribute with donations to the victims.