Hundreds missing as floods sweep Northeastern Brazil

http://timesofearth.com/Worldnews/?NT=0&nid=23932 RIO DE JANEIRO — Rescue workers in northeastern Brazil are searching for more than 600 people declared missing in the wake of torrential floods.
Rains have eased somewhat in Alagoas state, where rescue teams are deploying heavy machinery to remove destroyed homes and using search dogs to look for survivors.

A fire department spokeswoman in Maceio, the capital of Alagoas, said there were no reports of survivors, but also nothing to indicate the missing were dead.

At least 44 people have been killed following three days of heavy rains, and more than 120,000 people are now homeless, authorities say. Many have sheltered in schools and churches, or with family members.

Some regions reported over 36 centimetres of rainfall over the past three days.

The torrents swept away more than 40,000 houses, entire bridges and streets, as well as rail lines in 22 towns across Alagoas.

Power and phone services have been cut off in many areas and officials fear there could be many deaths unreported.

The federal government announced on Wednesday that it would send $56 million in supplies, including food and medicine. Officials say air force planes have already delivered 10 tons of supplies.

But local residents say the aid has yet to reach some of the hardest-hit areas.

"We're going hungry," Deise de Andrade, a housewife in the city of Uniao dos Palmares, told the AFP news agency. "Yesterday we had to pick food out of the mud to give it to my sons. We're eating mud."

In May 2009, flooding in the same area killed at least 44 people and displaced 380,000 others.


--------
Copyright 2010 THE TIMES OF EARTH All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Brazil
• flood
• toll
• climbs
• amid
• search
• for
• hundreds
• of
• missing

[BabyShowerStuffcom]

Very sobering footage, I feel for them

[106LouLou]

tsunami?? i dont think this is a flood

[falcon131ful]

The Chuck Norris Duck! 0:20

[ali1234467]

Why it happen?

who is the responsible?

Who give life?

who give death?

have you ever thing about it?

why we scare from death?

Do we fall in love with this world (material world)?

Why kids cry as just birthout?

[VickyB2210]

Thats just horrible

[aryowailangitoyo97]

0:22, while human are in danger and panic. it seems the duck is having fun because the duck can swim and float at any water conditions.

[Volcano2014]

It's good that the towns will be built in a different location. Americans would rebuild in the same location, again and again, and again...

[aznguy11111]

look at the duck fighting the flood like a boss. hahahaha

[dayzedaway]

Now this is beautiful

[ALingua]

Mula (Lula) you son of a bitch... where are the over 2 billion USD you stole with your ministry of sports after releasing budget to build the facilities of the Panamerican Games of Rio de Janeiro? Son of a bitch, you must pay in hell for ever! You are the devilfather of farc - Folks, search for "Foro de São Paulo" on Google or Yahoo! to discover who Mula is!