MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Cyclone in south Brazil causes death, flooding, power cuts and disruption in major port operations

According to Rio Grande do Sul Civil defense the “bomb cyclone” caused 120km/hour winds in the mountain range of Santa Catarina.

Windstorms and storms recorded this week in the south of Brazil caused deaths in Santa Catarina, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul leaving a trail of destruction in the three states of the region, with fallen trees and power posts, flooded homes, lack of energy and road blocks.

The Civil Defense of Santa Catarina confirmed at least three deaths. A 78-year-old woman from Chapecó, in the west, was hit by a tree. A man from Santo Amaro da Imperatriz, the metropolitan area of Florianópolis, was hit by high voltage wires. In Tijucas, on the Santa Catarina coast, a death was caused by a fall in structure. One person is missing.

In Nova Prata, in the Serra Gaúcha, a death by burial was recorded due to a landslide caused by the large volume of rain. The region is one of the hardest hit in the state with rain and gales caused by a cold front associated with an extra-tropical cyclone, called a “bomb cyclone.”

According to Rio Grande do Sul Civil defense the “bomb cyclone” caused 120km/hour winds in the mountain range of Santa Catarina.

The port authority of Brazil’s second busiest port for grains and sugar, Paranaguá, said on Wednesday that two ship loaders at the port were displaced by the strong winds. The authority added that some terminals have no power to move conveyor belts, causing disruptions to loading operations. .

Meanwhile the Brazilian navy has issued a new bad weather alert for the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo and Bahia. Shipping agency Williams said in a note to clients the strong winds caused damages in some terminals, citing Paranaguá’s terminal 203 and the export corridor 214.