Thousands displaced by floods in northeastern Brazil

INA-  sources

Floods forced more than 11,000 people in the Brazilian state of Bahia to flee their homes, while the authorities rushed Saturday to provide assistance to residents who do not have alternative housing.
 
The state’s civil protection agency said heavy rains have killed 17 people since November, with the latest death reported on Thursday.
 
According to the agency’s data on Friday, a total of 4,185 people were looking for shelter after heavy rains fell on 19 cities, including Guratenga, Ituroro and Kuarachi in the south of the state.
 
The agency said that a total of 11,260 people were forced to flee their homes.
 
The Bahia government and other federal governments launched a joint operation on Saturday to mobilize personnel, aircraft and equipment and provide relief to residents in flooded areas.
 
“We are fully mobilized and taking all measures to ensure the necessIG support for the victims of the torrential rains that hit Bahia this Christmas,” Bahia State Governor Rui Costa said in a video message.
 
The state infrastructure minister said floods and traffic obstructions were reported on 17 roads, some of them due to landslides and rockslides.
 
City officials said the average rainfall in Salvador, the capital of Bahia, during December was 250 millimeters as of Friday, five times the historical average.