MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Floods hit southern Brazil's State of Santa Catarina

In just a few hours, more than half the volume expected for the entire month of January fell, Mello pointed out

The beach resort of Camboriú in the southern Brazilian State of Santa Catarina has been declared under emergency Thursday following heavy rains that flooded that place and others such as Florianópolis.

First responders have been working around the clock while State authorities also set up shelters as the need for improved drainage systems and flood prevention infrastructure has been highlighted. Residents were also advised to exercise extreme caution in flood-prone areas.

Camboriú Mayor Juliana Pavan declared the emergency after more than 120 millimeters of rainfall were recorded in just a few hours flooding city streets and adjacent roads such as BR-101, where the Morro do Boi tunnel is closed. Argentine tourists were reported to be arriving en masse for the second half of January as a convenient exchange rate advises against vacationing in their home country.

“It rained, in a few hours, about 130 millimeters in the cities of Itajaí, Camboriú and Balneário Camboriú. More than half the volume expected for the entire month of January,” Santa Catarina Governor Jorginho Mello pointed out.

According to Camboriús Urban Mobility's Ricardo Pastrana, lines were over 26 kilometers long in either direction passing through Porto Belo, Meia Praia, Itapema, Camboriú, and Itajaí.

Pavan's measure triggered the Emergency Disaster Response Plan, summoning volunteers to reinforce response actions and crowdfunding campaigns. The City Council also announced the opening of three emergency shelters.

The Response and Action Coordination Group (GRAC) and teams from Civil Defense, the Department of Public Works and Public Safety are working together in the area to ensure the safety of the population and tourists, especially considering that these climatic phenomena increase the probability of landslides, especially in areas with slopes, such as BR-101, it was also explained.

According to the local site NSC Total, no weather model predicted Thursday's crisis. Therefore, Thursday's strong and concentrated storms, characteristic of maritime circulation rains, caught people in Itajaí and Camboriú by surprise. Santa Catarina's experimental meteorological station Epagri/Ciram is not capable of detecting this type of weather phenomenon in time.

Epagri/Ciram's expert Gilsânia Cruz told local media that identifying this type of phenomenon depends on smaller-scale precision models, which would require newer supercomputers, in addition to meteorologists being able to handle new forecasting models. Foul weather is expected to continue until at least Saturday. Hence, Brazil's Civil Defense Department predicted heavy and persistent rains will continue to affect Bombinhas, Governador Celso Ramos, Itapema, Porto Belo, Tijucas, and Penha, with possible flooding.

Mello had already made headlines Wednesday when he highlighted that the city of Pomerode, known as the most German city in Brazil “stands out for the color of people's skin.” According to Brazil's Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), Pomerode's population is 80.38% white. The Governor's statement during the opening of the 40th Pomeranian festival was posted on the Santa Catarina State's website on audio and went viral for its alleged “racist” tint which could result in criminal charges against the State's Chief Executive. “Racism is a crime, and this accusation doesn't apply to me,” Mello insisted.