MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Heavy storm leaves at least 11 dead in Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes decreed a full emergency

At least eleven people died and many others needed to be evacuated this weekend after heavy rains hit Rio de Janeiro causing severe flooding and damage to numerous houses that were left under water. The Federal Government decreed a maximum alert. The risk of further flooding and landslides remains very high, it was also explained.

The State Secretariat for Civil Defense and the Rio de Janeiro State Military Fire Brigade reported in their latest bulletin that the death toll from the rain that hit the metropolitan region of Rio on Saturday (13) has reached 11, according to Agencia Brasil.

Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes decreed a full emergency and asked people through social media not to go to Avenida Brasil, one of the most affected avenues, which had to be closed due to the amount of water. Due to the storm, there were floods, fallen trees, and traffic problems caused by the high concentration of water.

The storm started late Saturday and since then some regions of the city recorded in the last 24 hours an accumulation of more than 200 millimeters of water, exceeding in one day the rainfall forecast for the entire month of January.

Authorities responded to more than 200 rain-related incidents in the last 24 hours throughout Rio de Janeiro, mainly involving the rescue of people and landslides.

The State Center for Natural Disaster Monitoring and Warning (Cemaden-RJ) is monitoring weather conditions and rainfall levels throughout the city and sending alerts to municipalities when necessary, it was also reported.

The Rio Operations Center reported that the city has more than 30 water concentrations, 17 flooding points, and five fallen trees.

In addition, a relief helicopter went down although none of its 6 occupants was hurt after the pilot successfully performed an emergency maneuver when the aircraft's propeller suffered a technical malfunction.

Brazil's National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet) said rain in Rio de Janeiro could persist until around noon Monday (Jan. 15). With rainfall of 20 to 30 mm/h or up to 50 mm on the day, Inmet points to a low risk of flooding and small landslides. For Tuesday, Inmet is talking about the possibility of isolated showers.

The northern part of the State of São Paulo is also under a potential danger alert due to heavy rainfall, Folha reported. Even though no rain was expected Monday, a chance of isolated rain on Tuesday (16).