The Associated Press is now reporting that over 500 have been killed in floods devastating Brazil.
A new and ominous rain began falling again Friday in mountain towns where mudslides and flooding killed at least 509 people, hindering rescuers’ efforts to reach survivors even as relatives hauled the dead down the hills to freshly dug graves. The known death toll rose overnight in three cities north of Rio, and officials feared that number could still rise, though they would not venture a guess of how many remain missing. Local reports put it in the hundreds. It’s the worst natural disaster to hit Latin America’s biggest nation since flooding and slides in 1967 killed 785 people, according to the Brussels-based International Disaster Database, which has tracked deadly natural events in Brazil since 1900.
How completely horrifying. Once more, praying people are called on to pray for the people and their land.
Meanwhile, Time reports that the terrible mudslides which have taken so many lives have been expected because of deforestation and poor civil planning and disaster readiness-
Local politicians in affected areas have consistently failed to provide the geological and related studies they need to secure disaster-prevention funding from the central government. They either can’t find the qualified geologists, engineers and surveyors to map land and produce coherent budget proposals, or they can’t afford to pay for them.
Related Articles
- Number Killed In Brazil Floods Tops 500 (news.sky.com)
