Overview
- Heavy downpours that struck Pernambuco and Paraiba over two days ending Saturday left at least six people dead and displaced thousands, according to federal authorities.
- Flooding and landslides hit urban areas in both states, with Recife and Olinda in Pernambuco and Conde, Joao Pessoa and Campina Grande in Paraiba among the hardest affected.
- The National Center for Risk and Disaster Management issued 22 alerts during the peak of the storms, and officials raised the region’s operational status to maximum alert.
- Rain eased Saturday and officials urged caution as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the federal government is supporting local responders and monitoring ongoing risks.
- Pernambuco’s governor declared a state of emergency, opened 29 shelters and reported more than 800 rescues, while landslides and swollen rivers kept some roads restricted and hydrological risk at a moderate level on Sunday.