monsoon rain-triggered landslides kill at least 500 in rio de janeiro state, brazil although...
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MONSOON RAIN-TRIGGERED LANDSLIDES KILL AT LEAST 500
IN RIO DE JANEIRO STATE, BRAZIL
ALTHOUGH RAINFALL IN MID-JANUARY IS COMMON, A MONTH’S RAINFALL IN 24 HOURS
IS NOT
JANUARY 13-14, 2011
Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, University of
North Carolina, USA
SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS
• The intense downpour (26 cm-- 10 in) caused at least one river to burst its banks, submerged cars, destroyed houses, created debris, and left at least 1,000 homeless.
HEAVY RAINFALL
• Hillsides and riverbanks buckled under the equivalent of a month’s rainfall in only 24 hours, sending water and mud surging through communities, killing many as they slept.
LINK WITH LA NINA?
• Brazil is on the Atlantic side of South America, making a link between the disastrous floods and La Nina problematic.
ONE OF THE WORST NATURAL DISASTERS IN
BRAZIL’S HISTORY
Over 500 people were initially reported as killed by the rain-triggered landslides, but this toll may rise due to the large number of missing persons.
IMPACTED TOWNS
• Three towns north of Rio were severely impacted: 1) Novo Friburgo, which had 247 deaths, 2) Teresopolis, with 231 deaths, and 3) Petropolis, with 43 deaths
SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS
• Thousands in the Serrana region, were isolated by the floodwaters and left without food, water, power, and telephone service.
SEARCH AND RESCUE
• About 800 search-and-rescue workers and fire fighters from the state's Civil Defense Department used heavy machinery, shovels and bare hands in attempts to find survivors.
THE DISASTER EXPOSED A FLAW IN LOCAL
CONSTRUCTION POLICY
The magnitude of the disaster was exacerbated by construction in unsafe zones (e.g., floodplains, and unstable slopes), and overall poor quality of the foundations.