This Friday, the Brazilian authorities found five bodies in São Sebastião, the city most affected by the rains that hit the São Paulo coast, raising the total number of deaths from the catastrophe to 57.
“Currently, the priority continues to be helping the victims and providing more than 2,251 displaced and 1,815 homeless“, indicated the Secretary of Communication of the State of São Paulo, in the last bulletin.
Rescuers are still searching for some 30 people who are still missing in two towns in the tourist region, which was hit by heavy storms over the weekend.
Off the coast of São Sebastião, a Navy aircraft carrier was anchored Thursday to serve as a floating hospital, with 300 beds and 50 doctors to relieve overcrowded hospitals from the area
A federal government “crisis office” was also created in the region, headed by the Minister of Integration, Waldez Góes, who this Friday met with the mayors of twelve cities on the São Paulo coast to analyze each particular situation.
Pope Francis sought to consulate the victims this Friday.
“Many are missing, many affected. I bring you closer to me, I bring you the certainty of my prayer. May God bless you very much and may Jesus accompany you and comfort you. And may the Virgin protect them,” said the pontiff, in a video recorded at the request of Friar Hans Stapel, founder of Fazenda da Esperança, a therapeutic community in Brazil for the treatment of chemical dependency.
Source: Observadora
