Shelter Centre

At least 200 families are thought to have lost their homes after a fire swept through a shanty town in the west of the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo. Original article

Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International SILVER SPRING, Md.--Hundreds of thousands of survivors are struggling to recover after heavy rain triggered severe flooding and mudslides in northeastern Brazil, leaving many without shelter, clean ...

Over 80 people have been killed in landslides and floods caused by heavy rain in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, and the death toll is rising by the minute, as rescue workers sift through the wreckage of the flooding that started at the weekend. At the moment, it is believed that 1.5 million people have been affected, and about 160,000 people are without electricity. There is no drinking water either, and people are starting to suffer from hunger too. Many of the roads in the region have been blocked by mud and water and eight towns have been cut off by the flood waters.

The federal government have helped by providing helicopters and boats to try to reach stranded residents, other states are sending aid, including clothes and food. Santa Catarina declared a state of emergency. This has been already declared the worse environmental tragedy in Brazil, and the rainy season is only beginning. Robson Souza [pt] has taken many pictures with his mobile phone and published them on his blog. They report on the situation in Itaja from 5:20 through 15:30, local time, on November 24:

Over 50,000 people were left homeless by weekend rains as 20,000 homes were destroyed. Some of them are living in shelters improvised by local authorities. Rogrio Christofoletti [pt], also from Itaja, is one of the 20,000 people sheltered at friends houses:

Cerca de 80% da cidade de Itaja est sob as guas, e todas as classes sociais esto atingidas. Dos miserveis aos ricaos, ningum foi poupado.  ... 

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