Heavy rains hit Greater São Paulo on Friday (January 16), causing flooding, cars swept away by floods, and at least two people missing in Capão Redondo. A couple was carried off in a vehicle into a stream, and a man disappeared while trying to rescue victims. Authorities will resume searches on Saturday, while traffic and power supply were disrupted.
The intense rains that fell over Greater São Paulo on the afternoon of January 16 created a scene of chaos, with widespread flooding, stream overflows, and traffic disruptions. In Capão Redondo, south zone of the capital, two vehicles were swept away by the flood on Avenida Carlos Caldeira Filho around 6 p.m. A white Hyundai HB20 carried the couple Maria Deusdete da Mata Ribeiro, 67, and Marcos da Mata Ribeiro, 68; searches for them were suspended at night due to lack of lighting and will resume at 8 a.m. on Saturday (January 17). A video shows a woman in an orange shirt inside the car. The red Renault Sandero, which had the owner on board, was found empty, and the man was rescued unharmed.
In another incident in the same neighborhood, on Rua Elias Maas, a man entered the water around 6:23 p.m. to rescue people in a submerged vehicle and disappeared. Until early evening, there was no confirmation of deaths, but firefighters indicate possible two victims in this action.
The storm also caused a wall collapse and partial interdiction of a house on Rua Jair Balo in Mauá (ABC region), with no serious injuries, according to Civil Defense. Rodovia Régis Bittencourt was blocked at km 280 in Itapecerica da Serra, causing 30 km of congestion. Firefighters handled 29 calls for floods in the capital, plus tree falls and collapses.
Rain accumulations were high: 92 mm in Santo André, 78 mm in São Paulo, and 77 mm in Mauá. Enel reported over 33,000 properties without power at 10 p.m., with 26,000 in the capital. CGE issued alerts for various zones until 7:10 p.m., and Inmet kept São Paulo at 'potential danger' until 11:59 p.m.
Wind gusts reached 48 km/h, and traffic recorded 154 km of slowdowns in the south zone. Forecast indicates instability in the coming days, with risk of more flooding and landslides on Saturday and Sunday, temperatures between 19°C and 28°C.
