In Pics | Floods and landslides batter Brazil, killing 36 people
TV and social media footage show the magnitude of destruction
In the social media and TV footage from the town of Sao Sebastiao, the entire neighbourhoods appeared inundated, the hillside houses were seen swept away by the oozing earth, the highways were flooded and the trees had fallen, along with other damages.
Sao Paulo declares 180-day state of calamity
A 180-day state of calamity was declared by Sao Paulo for six cities after what was called by experts an extreme and unprecedented weather event. The statement added that Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas will hold a meeting with federal officials on Monday as the officials plan to co-ordinate the response to the calamity.
President Silva to visit affected areas
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was enjoying the carnival in Brazil's northeast state of Bahia, will be visiting the affected areas on Monday, his office stated. Operations going on at the port of Santos, which is the largest port in Latin America, were interrupted as the port was lashed by waves rising beyond one metre and hit by wind gusts exceeding 55 kpm (34 mph), a local news outlet stated.
Carnival cancelled in Sao Sebastiao and elsewhere
Meanwhile, the carnival events to be held in Sao Sebastiao and other cities were cancelled. Sao Sebastiao Mayor Felipe Augusto said, "We have not yet gauged the scale of the damage. We are trying to rescue the victims", as he called the situation in the town "extremely critical". "We are working at nearly 50 residences that collapsed under the force of the water and there are still people buried," he said to Globonews.
Heavy rains to continue, says weather forecasts
According to weather forecasts, the coastal area of Sao Paulo will continue to receive heavy rainfall, making it more challenging for the fire department and civil defence rescue teams to continue their rescue operations and raising the possibility of a higher death toll.
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