Heavy rain that started on Sunday afternoon and continued into Monday flooded dozens of areas in São Paulo and managed to shut down Brazil's largest city.
From 9 am on Sunday to 9 am yesterday, it rained 114 mm, equivalent to more than half of the expected rainfall expected for the entire month. It was the second-highest volume in 24 hours, for February, in the last 77 years. It rained more in one day in 1983.
The Pinheiros and Tietê rivers overflowed, which led to a traffic jam, especially in the west, the most affected area. Train lines stopped, public services were interrupted, schools suspended classes, and São Paulo residents were told to stay at home.
Greater São Paulo and other regions of the state were also affected. In Botucatu, 240 km from the capital, one person died, and two are missing.
The forecast for the next few days predicts unstable weather and more rain, with the risk of landslides.
Despite the inconvenience, the Municipality of São Paulo and the São Paulo government stated that the drainage systems worked. According to the authorities, this caused the floods to concentrate in the area between the two main rivers in the capital.
Mayor Bruno Covas (PSDB) said that "the disaster would be much greater" without preventive work in its management.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon