Heavy Rainfall Kills at Least Eight, Causes Landslides and Flooding in Greater Recife

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – According to the Fire Department, eight people died this Wednesday, July 24th, as a result of the heavy rainfall that has been affecting the Metropolitan Region of Recife (RMR) since dawn.

The storm also brought down walls and trees and caused several flooding points, hindering bus traffic. In some neighboring cities, school classes have been canceled.

Two deaths recorded by the Fire Department occurred on the Estrada do Passarinho, in the Recife area, and another in the neighborhood of Dois Unidos, also in the capital city of Pernambuco. Two other deaths were confirmed in Águas Compridas, in Olinda. There were also three deaths recorded in Caetés, in Abreu e Lima.

On Estrada do Passarinho, Natalicio Vicente da Silva, 69, and Ivonete Maria da Silva, 63, are victims of a barrier landslide.

According to the Fire Department, another victim in the city of Abreu e Lima is a 19-year-old woman. Her mother, 39 years old, was pulled out of the rubble and taken to Hospital Miguel Arraes, in Paulista.

Also in Abreu e Lima, the Fire Department recorded the death of a 15-year-old adolescent and a 50-year-old man.

Teams are searching to locate another man of undisclosed age and a 21-year-old pregnant woman. Names and ages of the other fatal victims have not been disclosed.

In Dois Unidos, Recife, five victims were buried after a barrier landslide. According to the Mobile Emergency Service (Samu), the victims were removed from the scene with abrasions.

In Jaboatão dos Guararapes, seven barriers failed. According to the city hall, no one was injured, but the families were forced to leave their homes. The Civil Defense may be activated in the city by calling 0800 281 20 99 or (81) 9 9195 6655.

Samu health service also recorded landslides in Córrego do Abacaxi, Estrada do Passarinho and Alto Nova Olinda, in Olinda; in Rua do Bosque, in Paulista, and in Caetés, in Abreu e Lima.

In Recife, the city’s Civil Defense reported that just before 8 AM on Wednesday, July 24th, 101 mm of rainfall had been recorded in just six hours.

According to the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet), this is the equivalent to eight days of rainfall, based on the historical average for July.

According to the Pernambuco Water and Climate Agency (Apac), rainfall in Greater Recife and Zona da Mata is expected to decrease in intensity, but it is to persist throughout the day. On Tuesday, July 23rd, the Agency had renewed the warning of moderate to heavy rainfall for the two regions.

Boats and tractors for transport

Due to the flooding on the BR-101 highway, in the Guabiraba neighborhood, in the North Zone of Recife, nurse André Cavalcanti paid R$10 to cross the highway and get to Igarassu, also in the Metropolitan Region.

In Olinda, the residents of Residencial Jardim Olinda, in the Casa Caiada neighborhood, say that they woke up around 1:30 AM and were instructed to remove their cars from the garage so that the rainwater would drain. In the same neighborhood, residents used a boat to travel.

Flooding

At 5:30 AM, Rua Manoel Bandeira, where the residential Jardim Olinda is located, was entirely flooded. The water covered up part of the vehicles. Those living in the building’s lower apartments needed help to raise their furniture.

Also in Olinda, in the Tabajara neighborhood, some 20 buses queued up unable to move. Trucks, vans, and cars are also parked on the side of the road to avoid risking the crossing.

Images sent to WhatsApp from Globo TV show Rua Olegário Mariano, in the same city, completely flooded.

The water level is up to the vehicles’ mid-height. According to residents of Rua Caetano Ribeiro, in Casa Caiada, the rainwater is at waist level, forcing people to remain isolated in their homes.

In Recife, Rua Carneiro Vilela, in the neighborhood of Encruzilhada, Rua Teles Júnior, in Aflitos, and Rua Estrela, in Parnamirim, all in northern Recife, are among the flooded roads.

Information technology analyst Gilberto Santos Júnior, 39, who has lived in the same location for 15 years, says he found Rua Nossa Senhora da Pompéia, in the Encruzilhada neighborhood, northern Recife, flooded since 6 AM.

According to him, the chaos in the neighborhood is nothing new. “It always floods both here on the street and in the vicinity. There’s a roundabout behind the Encruzilhada Market that carries a lot of water and garbage over to this side,” he says.

There are also flooding points on Mascarenhas de Moraes Avenues, in Imbiribeira, in the South Zone; Dois Rios, in Ibura, also in the South Zone; and Doutor José Rufino, in Areias, in the West Zone.

There is no retention at these points, although vehicles are experiencing difficulties to get through, according to the Recife Traffic and Urban Transportation Authority (CTTU).

“I managed to get through because I was on a bus, which is high, but this part of Dr. José Rufino always floods, and it’s nothing new. They’ve already carried out a cleaning operation, but nothing has changed,” says Professor Carlos Landim.

According to residents, in the municipality of Paulista, the water level on Rua Frei Caneca, in the Janga neighborhood, is knee-deep. The villagers are unable to leave their homes.

Rua Britânia, in Nossa Senhora do Ó, in the city of Paulista, is flooded. According to Marcela Portela, a 26-year-old who has lived there for 19 years, rainwater is very close to invading the homes. “We’re in no condition to leave here today. Friday I am attending a conference, and the situation needs to improve. I have never seen actions by the city government to improve the street in all my time here,” she says.