Brazil's Rousseff Breaks Holidays to Tour Flood-Hit Areas
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff interrupted her year-end holidays Friday to tour flood-hit areas of the country's southeast where 40 people have died following torrential rains.
After two weeks of heavy downpours which have triggered deadly landslides, the weather is beginning to improve across much of southeastern Brazil.
Tens of thousands of people spent Christmas without drinking water, power or communications while food shortages were reported.
Accompanied by Health Minister Alexandre Padilha, Rousseff flew over the Governador Valadares region of Minas Gerais where torrential rains have left people dead and forced 9,500 to leave their homes.
Civil Defense officials said two children aged 3 and 11 died Sunday buried under mud slides that swept away their home in Governador Valadares, where rivers overflowed their banks, causing extensive flooding.
In neighboring Espirito Santo which has been hit by the worst rains in 90 years and which Rousseff toured on Tuesday, the official death toll was revised downward from 27 to 23.
Two persons are still reported missing and presumed to be buried under the mud.
A total of 52 cities in Espirito Santo have been hit by flooding and 61,000 people have been evacuated.
The Brazilian Air Force said its helicopters rescued 162 elderly and sick people as well as women and children. It also delivered eight tons of food, medicines and drinking water to the state.
The federal government meanwhile authorized the allocation of nearly $3 million to fund rescue operations, assistance to the victims and restoration of essential services in Espirito Santo.
Source: Agence France Presse
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