Overview
- Officials reported 23 deaths and 47 people missing after flooding and landslides in Minas Gerais following torrential rains that began late Monday.
- Juiz de Fora accounted for 16 deaths and 43 missing, while nearby Ubá reported seven deaths and four missing, according to municipal figures.
- Juiz de Fora’s mayor said February has been the wettest on record with 584 millimeters of rain, and the overflowing Paraibuna River contributed to widespread damage.
- Roughly 440 residents were forced from their homes, municipal schools were suspended, and authorities cited at least 20 landslides and isolated neighborhoods.
- The city declared an emergency that the federal government recognized, national civil defense was placed on high alert, and INMET maintained heavy‑rain warnings across parts of 14 states.