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Current affairs
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Floods in Brazil have caused hundreds of deaths
Floods in Brazil have caused 536 deaths in 5 cities (Itaipava, Friburgo, Teresopolis, Sumidouro, Petropolis and Sao Jose do Vale do Rio Preto). This is the worst tragedy since 1967. Every year summer rains causes problems especially in Sao Paulo and mountains region of Rio de Janeiro. Nowadays the tragedy it’s getting bigger dimensions. The Army and National Safety Force had send help to rescue victims but the access to these regions it is not so easy due to the interruption of traffic (some routes and bridges were destroyed) and the electricity it’s not available. More than 2.500 people cannot go back their homes due to the risk of landslide. Episodes of pillage had happened in Teresopolis. The local authorities had send around 26 gravediggers, 9 helicopters, 30 cars, trucks, 650 men, and electricity sources to these regions. Two provisory emergency hospitals with mobile CT scanner are working in tends to assist the victims and identify the cases that need critical care. Critical cases must be sent to bigger hospitals in Teresopolis. At Nova Friburgo’s provisory emergency care we have 6 doctors, 11 assistants, 4 nurses. At Teresopolis’s provisory emergency care we have 10 doctors, 4 assistants and 2 nurses.Helicopters have being used to access isolated regions, rescue victims and to identify areas at risk of landslide to evacuate them. Special equipments, gravediggers and trucks were sent to remove barriers and allow that the rescue team can arrive at the affected areas. The strategy it is to rescue victims and avoid that inhabitants could stay in danger areas.At the first moment the main health problems are traumatic lesions, submersion, exposure to electric current, contact with venomous animals and tetanus. After the rain it is expected some typical diseases like diarrhoeas, viral hepatitis, leptospirosis, typhoid fever and also a increasing of dengue incidence. Generally immunization it is offered in these occasions and special recommendations related to water and food contamination is done, but the main problem stays as a challenge to public intervention. Most of affected people were those living in places in risk of landslide, and generally they are in deprived situations. I have been living in Rio de Janeiro for so many years that we can always expect this kind of problems every summer. It is always the same: the rain, the landslides, deaths, traumas, hepatitis, leptospirosis, diarrhoeas and thousands of people losing their homes.
Interventions linked to urbanism must take place if we want to avoid new catastrophic episodes like this. Dilma, the new president, had told today that urbanism must be a priority. I hope we will really try to change this “natural history of summer rain destruction in southwest of Brazil".
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We have seen Brazil on television in Australia and note your high death toll and mainly the poor.
In a global community, we are so interconnected. We all share with those who suffer as next time it may be our turn again. Regardless of the country, the anguish is the same and the look on the face of people universal.