More than 11,000 people have been displaced in the Brazilian state of Bahia due to flooding, with authorities scrambling Saturday to provide relief to residents without alternate housing. The heavy rains have killed 17 people since November, including the latest death on Thursday, the state’s civil protection agency said. The agency reported that a total of 11,260 people had been forced to flee their homes. Flooding and traffic blocks were reported on 17 roads, with some caused by landslides and rockslides, the state’s infrastructure secretary reported. December rainfall in Bahia’s capital Salvador totaled 250 millimeters (9.8 inches) through Friday, a figure five times the historic average, city officials said.

Source: The Guardian December 26, 2021 05:05 UTC