Brazilian authorities continue this Wednesday with the search and rescue efforts for about twenty missing people in the municipalities of Juiz de Fora and Ubá, in the state of Minas Gerais, after the storm that has left at least 46 dead, according to official sources. Although there is a tense calm in the region due to the truce that the rain has given in the last hours, the area remains on red alert due to the high probability of new rainfall that could cause more floods and landslides. In Juiz de Fora, the most affected municipality, the deceased from the catastrophe already amount to 40, while 19 people remain missing, about 3,000 are temporarily homeless and 400 more completely lost their homes. In Ubá, six fatalities, two missing persons, and 202 affected people have been recorded. Firefighters found the bodies of fifteen people between last night and this Wednesday afternoon after the strong storm that began on Monday.
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In the most affected neighborhoods of the city, rescue teams and volunteers are facing scenes of devastation. Ruins of destroyed houses and streets turned into rivers of mud are the current panorama of Jardim Paineiras, where the authorities continue to search tirelessly for three missing people, including two children, as EFE was able to verify. According to the latest bulletin from the Minas Gerais Fire Department, 87 members of that organization are still working on search and rescue operations in that municipality. In addition to them, there are brigade members, regional security forces and others sent by the central government who are working with heavy machinery to clean streets and remove debris, while neighbors collaborate with donations. However, there are poorer communities and favelas, which are on the outskirts of Juiz de Fora, where official help has not yet arrived. It is the case of Três Moinhos where several landslides were recorded and it is the residents themselves who are acting to remove the debris. In addition to Juiz de Fora and Ubá, six other municipalities in the region have also registered significant damage, although without human losses.
