Heavy rain has caused damage, flooding and landslides across the states of Espirito Santo, Santa Catarina, Paranà, Rio de Janeiro and Bahia in Brazil since late November 2022. According to the country’s Civil Defence, at least 10 people have died and over 17,500 have been displaced.

Paranà State

As reported on 02 December, heavy rain caused a massive landslide along a highway near Guaratuba in Paranà state. Emergency teams are still working at the site, removing debris and mud. Twenty-one vehicles were buried in the slide, and it was thought at least 30 people could be missing. Two bodies have been recovered, and 6 people rescued alive. Six others were able to escape the vehicles without needing assistance. The search for the missing is continuing, the state government said.

Heavy rain has affected other areas of the state, including Antonina, Araucária, Campina Grande do Sul, Campo Largo, Curitiba, Guaraqueçaba, Guaratuba, Itaperuçu, Morretes, Piraquara, Quatro Barras and São José dos Pinhais.

Civil Protection reported that, as of 02 December, 7,528 people have been affected. Flooding has damaged 647 homes, 500 of them in São José dos Pinhais. One house was destroyed in Antonina. The number of displaced has fallen slightly over the last few days from 1,152 to 1,079.

More heavy rain has fallen and the municipality of Inácio Martins recorded 88.6 mm in 24 hours to 04 December 2022.

Heavy rain caused a massive landslide on a highway near Guaratuba in Paranà State, Brazil on 28 November 2022. Photo: Civil Defence Paranà

Santa Catarina

Heavy rain since late November continues to cause flooding and landslides in Santa Catarina.

As of 04 December, 32 municipalities were affected, 30 of which declared a state of emergency. Across the state, a total of 16,350 people were affected, including 10,000 in Massaranduba and 4,000 in Campo Alegre. A total of 1,077 people were displaced including 688 in Joinville and 220 in São Bento do Sul.

The state government reported fatalities in Palhoça, Brusque and Gravatal. A firefighter is still missing Navegantes and another person was reported missing after being swept away by an overflowing river in Brusque.

Municipalities in a state of emergency are: Araquari, Campo Alegre, Canelinha, Canoinhas, Corupá, Doutor Pedrinho, Garuva, Gaspar, Guaramirim, Itajaí, Itapoá, Jaraguá do Sul, Joinville, Luiz Alves, Massaranduba, Major Gercino, Mafra, Nova Trento, Orleans, Palhoça, Paulo Lopes, Rio dos Cedros, Rio Negrinho, Rodeio, São Bento do Sul, Santo Amaro da Imperatriz, Schroeder, Timbó, Tijucas and Três Barras.

Flood damage in Santa Catarina, Brazil, December 2022. Photo; Cristiano Estrela / Secom

Espírito Santo

Heavy rain has been falling for the last week in the state of Espírito Santo, where Civil Defence reported 18 municipalities affected, several of which have declared a state of emergency including Cariacica, Colatina, Domingos Martins, Fundão, Jaguaré, João Neiva, Santa Leopoldina, São Mateus and Vila Velha.

As of 04 December, there were a total of 4,051 displaced in the state as a result of the severe weather. One fatality was reported in the municipality of Viana, where a total of 1,676 people were displaced.

Santa Teresa municipality recorded 258 mm of rain in 3 days from 01 to 03 December.

The Doce river at Linhares is above the orange alert level (3 metres). As of 05 December, the river stood at 3.14 metres and rising.

Levels of the Doce river at Linhares, Espírito Santo, Brazil. Image: CPRM

Rio de Janeiro

Authorities reported severe weather in the Norte Fluminense region of Rio de Janeiro State, from late November 2022. Affected municipalities included Carapebus, Conceição de Macabu, Macaé and Campos dos Goytacazes.

One person died from a lightning strike in Carapebus. One person died, another was seriously injured and around 85 people were displaced after a landslide in Conceição de Macabu.

Flooding has worsened since then, in particular in the city of Carapebus, where 2 people died and around 1,000 families have been displaced.

Macaé recorded 196.6 mm of rain in 48 hours to 01 December 2022.

The national Civil Defence reported a total of 16,900 people affected across 5 municipalities in the state, as of 04 December.

Floods in Carapebus, Brazil, December 2022 – Prefeitura de Carapebus

Bahia

Heavy rain has also affected areas further north. At least 16 municipalities in the northeastern state of Bahia have declared a state of emergency.

Heavy rain began in late November, causing flooding in Prado City where 3,000 people were displaced on 28 November. The heavy rain has continu

ed to cause problems since then and as of 04 December, a total of 51 municipalities have been affected, 9,281 people were displaced and 65,515 were affected, according to the state’s Civil Defence. There were no reports of missing persons or deaths.

The worst affected municipalities and those that have declared a state of emergency are: Prado, Baixa Grande, Itabuna, Santa Cruz Cabrália, Cícero Dantas, Ibicuí, Itambé, Nova Viçosa, Vereda, Olindina, Cachoeira, Eunápolis, Cardeal da Silva, Itapé, Ribeira do Pombal and Teodoro Sampaio.

Heavy rain began in late November. On 29 November the city of Ibotirama recorded 133.4 mm of rain and Barreiras recorded 104.4 mm. The following day 75 mm of rain fell in Ribeira do Amparo. Amargosa recorded 84.6 mm on 01 December; Porto Seguro 90.4 mm on 02 December and Lençóis 49.5 mm on 03 December.

UPDATE:

• Heavy rainfall continues to affect several Brazilian States, resulting in an increased humanitarian impact. 
• Bahia State (north-eastern Brazil) was the hardest hit area by heavy rainfall on 6 December. According to media reports, one person died in Itapicuru Municipality (southern Bahia). More than 13,800 people have been displaced across 53 Municipalities of Bahia, of which 31 are in an emergency situation. Nearly 78,400 individuals have been affected by floods. 
• On 7-8 December, light to moderate rain is forecast across western, central, eastern, and south-eastern Brazil