Brazil: Photos of a country hit by hail, rain and high winds

The past week was marked by violent storm in many Brazilian states. Seven people died in the southern Brazilian states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, while four people died in a São Paulo slum after a mudslide swept into a slum last Tuesday. Thousands of people have been made homeless across the country. The photos below have been taken in different places of the country and shared under Creative Commons licenses on Flickr.

On September 8th, at 10:30 in the morning, 70% of the rain expected for the whole month had fallen in São Paulo, as reported by flicker user gd365. This is said to be the most rainy winter since 1943. As a result, there were traffic jams and cut off phone services and electricity in some neighbourhoods of Latin America's biggest metropolis.

Photo by gd365

Photo by gd365

Later on the day, in another part of the city, Flicker user ManoelNetto described the scene unfolding in front of him as “The Apocalypse”.

Photo by Flicker user ManoelNetto

Photo by Flicker user ManoelNetto

(15h55) Dá um saque no final dos tempos. Essa foto foi tirada por volta de 15h, da janela do 9o andar da Abril (Marginal Pinheiros).

(3.55 pm) Have a look at the end of times. This photo was taken at about 3 pm, from the window of the 9th floor of [publisher] Abril offices (on Marginal Pinheiros).
Photo by alémdoquesevê_2

Photo by alémdoquesevê_2

Veja que delícia, dia começou com céu preto com sol…

Faculdade teve apagão (o negocio da luz explodiu bem na minha frente) e alagou, a rua alagou, o metro alagou, minha calça molhou (mesmo tendo guarda-chuva,que ficou levemente destruido), e bem na hora que tenho que sair de novo o dia virou noite de novo e sem condiçoes de eu ir pra rua, ah e agora a luz daqui ta ameaçando acabar e eu cheia de coisas pra fazer no computador…ê dia bom

See how delightful, the day today has began with a black sky and sun…

There was a blackout in the university (the light bulb exploded right in front of me) and flood, the street flooded, the subway flooded, my pants got wet (even with an umbrella, which was slightly destroyed), and just when I had to leave again the day turned to night and there is no way I can go out, ah, and now the light here is threatening to go away and I have a lot of stuff to do on the computer… oh good day

At 11 AM on the September 9th, the sky so dark that it appeared to be night in São Paulo, as registered by the lens of Flicker user erika.tricroche. About 30 spots around São Paulo were submerged by heavy rain, which also brought traffic on normally congested roads to a standstill.

The luminous sign reads: slow traffic. Photo by erika.tricroche.

The luminous sign reads: slow traffic. Photo by erika.tricroche.

Na minha volta pra São Paulo na terça-feira, em pleno Castelo Branco chegando em Barueri, antes de todo caos que a chuva causou: Muito transito + alagamento + destruição + soterramento = caos total!!!!
Ainda bem que ainda era de manhã e cheguei sã e salva!!!!!

On my return to Sao Paulo on Tuesday, right at the Castelo Branco motorway close to [the city of] Barueri, before all the chaos caused by the rain: there was a lot of traffic + flooding + accident + destruction + landslide = total chaos!!
Thankfully it was still morning and arrived safe and sound!!!!!
Avenida Paulista, the largest avenue in São Paulo. Photo by Gustavo Minas.

Avenida Paulista, the largest avenue in São Paulo, on 3 of September. Photo by Gustavo Minas.

Photo by Robvini

September 11, Tenente Portela, state of Rio Grande do Sul, South of Brazil. Photo by Flicker user Robvini.

September 11, Tenente Portela, state of Rio Grande do Sul. Photo by Flicker user Robvini.

September 11, Tenente Portela, state of Rio Grande do Sul, south of Brazil. Photo by Flicker user Robvini.

Unknown city on 8 of September, photo by Flickr user rodrigojunk

Unknown city on 8 of September, photo by Flickr user rodrigojunk

A picture taken after the rain in the north-western state of Acre, on September 8th:

Photo by Agência de Notícias do Acre

Photo by Sérgio Vale/Secom

Chuva na mata traz novos cheiros, novas vidas, novas cores e um pequeno arco-íris se forma colorindo o entardecer

Rain in the wood brings new smells, new lives, new colours and a small rainbow appears to make the evening colourful.

Argentina and Paraguay were also hit by the rain, described as a freak “tornado” by local media. Throughout Brazil, the rain and wind have affected over 70,000 residents in 45 cities. The Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet) forecasts a rainy weekend in all regions of the country.

2 comments

  • Meme Mine

    Are you willing to bet that history will view the CO2 theory being valid and that threatening our children with climate death was worth it, as responsible parents, not to mention progressive civilized human beings?
    I’m sorry but I can’t do this “end of the world” bit anymore without feeling like history is already laughing and cursing at me. Look your kids in the eyes please and you may rethink this environmental emergency and see this state of urgency and fear in true focus. I don’t think that supporting this CO2 theory is responsible anymore because I think don’t think that promising our kids a sick planet from CO2, for another quarter of a century is sustainable or morally accountable for another two and a half decades of predictions. And we all grapple with the confusing reality of colder temperatures yet more pictures of Polar Bears drowning and scientists saying that what we see is not what we really see.
    Since precaution is the influencing force behind this 23 year old CO2 theory, I’m going to side with precaution and not let myself look anymore foolish than I feel right now as I’m telling our kids that we must save the planet for them. Simply put, I’ve waited long enough and a force strong enough to end “life as we know it-IPCC”, on the planet should have happened by now. Waiting any longer is as self fulfilling prophecy and I’m willing to bet against this theory officially as AL Gore and the political scientists and hysterical media fight it out in this media feeding frenzy. And who isn’t embarrassed by these silly headlines of global warming scientists saying CO2 will or may not be causing everything from racism to earthquakes.
    Look at it this way, denying this CO2 business does not mean that you are now anti environment, it just means that we should do everything to preserve, protect and respect nature instead of trying to rescue planet Earth with needless fear from a CO2 mistake. Our air is in fact cleaner than the smoggy 70’s, a fact that all of the enviro groups admit. We just have to remove this failed CO2 threat. And at the same time we are being the NEW GREENS of environmentalism, we can still see the need for directing our energies to real issues like the carnage on our highways, poverty, recycling, energy alternatives and better health care, housing and financial opportunities for more people to achieve a higher living standard.
    The NEW GREENS are not just deniers; we are the new leaders of Rachel Carson’s environmental movement who don’t want to be remembered for perpetrating this climate WMD scam concerning the obviously failed CO2 theory.
    Resulting cooling disproves predicted warming. Preserve, protect and respect our worldly surroundings.

  • hurricane

    Umm what you say makes no sense. Even if you don’t believe in Global Warming but want to be environmentally responsible the massive amount of CO2 and other pollutants spewed by fossil burning fuels are still poisening our environment and cause a myriad of health and social problems. Even if you don’t think the climate is warming rainfall levels are still falling and more and more regions of the planets are becoming wasteland.

    Reducing fossil fuel consumption and introducing an alternative to fossil fuels are the only way to accomplish this goal. Even if you don’t believe in the “CO2” theory it is still in everyone’s interest to demand reductions in emissions.

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