Heavy rains in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, caused at least 41 deaths and 17 missing, plus thousands homeless. The city declared a state of public calamity and is receiving support from the Brazilian Army. Residents report a lack of training for emergencies, while school shelters house affected families.
Juiz de Fora, in the Zona da Mata region of Minas Gerais, is dealing with the devastating effects of intense rains that began on Monday (February 23). By Wednesday night (February 25), the storms resulted in 41 confirmed deaths in the city, with six more in neighboring Ubá, and 17 missing, according to Civil Defense data. The city hall reports over 3,500 people homeless or displaced, with improvised shelters in schools such as Professor Paulo Sérgio and Nilo Camilo Ayupe.
On Tuesday (February 24), Mayor Margarida Salomão (PT) declared a state of public calamity, approved by the federal government the same day to expedite resources. On Thursday (February 26), ten trucks and 100 Brazilian Army military personnel arrive to assist in damage mitigation. Salomão emphasized: “Our priority, without a doubt, is to save lives. We are working tirelessly to prevent more losses, find the missing people, and support families”.
Residents like Juliana Cristina de Souza, 42, a housewife from the Esplanada neighborhood, left behind documents and pets when fleeing condemned houses. “We never had training and there are no siren alerts. We received the alert on our cell phones, it was a general alert, but we didn't imagine that area could be affected,” she reported. Tatiane do Carmo, school director managing a shelter with 47 people, noted: “We never received any kind of training and didn't imagine there would be a need”.
On Wednesday night, the Hospital de Pronto Socorro had its basement flooded, but evacuated staff in time and maintained services. Flooding points persist in neighborhoods like Ipiranga and Santa Efigênia, with the Rio Paraibuna reaching 4 meters high. Experts like geologist Geraldo César Rocha from UFJF point out that landslides, such as on Morro do Cristo, could have been prevented with engineering interventions. The city received 11 Civil Defense alerts this year, but the Contingency Plan focuses more on post-disaster actions than preventive guidance for the population.
Solidarity has been remarkable in the shelters, with donations arriving quickly, though social disparities exist: in middle-class areas like Paineiras, families relocate with relatives instead of using public shelters.
