Shelter Centre

Date: 02 Jul 2010
Source: Action by Churches Together International

By Paula Ges

At least 46 people were killed and an estimated hundreds remain missing since Friday June 18, after torrential floods swept through the neighboring states of Alagoas and Pernambuco, north-east Brazil, in the worst environmental tragedy in the local populations memory. Dubbed the northeastern tsunami, the floods have been compared to similar catastrophes in Asia, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

At least 180,000 people have been displaced by the disaster, with many finding shelter in schools, churches or with family members.  ... 

June 26, 2010: "e;After three days of heavy rains and severe floods in northern Brazil, approximately 150,000 people have been displaced, while at least 50 people were killed and 140 remain missing. In the northern region of Brazil, mostly in the stat...

On 5/24/2010 4:18:29 PM, an earthquake of magnitude 6.5 and depth 580.5km occurred in Brazil. This earthquake potentially affected 41000 people.

Source: Reuters * Rescue workers looking for dozens feared buried * 24,000 without shelter, many houses still at risk * Disaster puts spotlight on Rio housing problems (Updates death toll, adds governor quote, ...

At least 95 people have died in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro after the most torrential rain for decades caused landslides and flooding.

 

Original article

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.  ... 

Almost 600 Bolivians flee to north-west Brazil to escape political uncertainty and violence in their country linked to plans to change the constitution.