The intense rainfall on Saturday and Sunday on the São Paulo coast left at least 2,496 people homeless or displaced in the region, according to the state Civil Defense.
The death toll was 40 until 11pm this Monday (20), but the government believes that it may get higher, as there are several houses that seem to have vanished under the mud of the landslides.
There were officially 40 people missing, the majority of them in the region of São Sebastião (north coast), the area on the coast most severely hit , with the highest number of dead and affected people.
According to São Paulo's Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, the section of the Rio-Santos highway in the city may have been destroyed.
He, President Lula and the local mayor, all from different political parties, met after flying over the region.
Lula defended the concentration of efforts among political rivals. "If each of us works alone, our development capacity is much lower."
Military and Civil Defense have been rescuing residents who are stranded and without supplies. The federal government has promised to release BRL 33.7 million in aid. In the opinion of experts, the risks of what happened were predictable.
Translated by Cassy Dias