Update, 12 February, 2020:
As of 11 February, the São Paulo state government reported 4 flood-related fatalities: 3 in Botucatu and 1 in Marília. Meanwhile the number of displacements has increased to over 730, with around 350 of them in the Greater Sao Paulo area, mostly in the municipalities of Carapicuíba (65); Pirapora do Bom Jesus (120); Jandira (32); and Itaquaquecetuba (128).
Hundreds of people also remain displaced outside Greater Sao Paulo, in particular in Botucatu and Peruíbe.
Update, 11 February 2020:
Heavy rain has affected wider areas of the state of São Paulo, with severe flooding reported in the city of Botucatu , where 1 person has died and 2 are missing.
State government in São Paulo confirmed that 246 people have been displaced across the state, including 80 in Botucatu, 106 in Peruíbe and 32 in Taboão da Serra.
On 10 February, acting Governor Rodrigo Garcia surveyed the flooded areas of the Pinheiros and Tietê and landslides in Osasco.
The municipalities of Botucatu, Laranjal Paulista and Taboão da Serra have declared an emergency. São Paulo State government said that the regions of Vale do Ribeira, Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, Osasco, Baixada Santista and Alto Tietê were also among the worst affected.
Original report, 10 February 2020:
Torrential rain has caused flooding and landslides in the Greater São Paulo area, Brazil.
The state government said some places recorded more rain in 3 hours than normally seen in the entire month of February. According to Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET), Brazil’s met agency, Barueri recorded 145.8mm of rain in 24 hours to 10 February. Mirante de Santana in São Paulo City recorded 121.8mm during the same period.
The rain caused the Tietê and Pinheiros rivers to overflow, with levels of the Pinheiros River at their highest for 15 years, according to the Empresa Metropolitana de Águas e Energia (EMAE).
Some schools have been closed and public transport suspended. The São Paulo Fire Department has responded to more than 4,000 calls from late 09 February, with 7 landslides and 132 flood points reported in the Greater São Paulo area overnight. By early 10 February these figures had increased to 88 incidents of landslides and flooding in 546 points.
Rescues, including some by helicopter, have been carried out in Marginal Tietê, Barueri and Carapicuíba.
