São Paulo's Civil Defense activated its crisis cabinet to monitor intense rains affecting the state's northern coast since Saturday. Three highways were closed due to landslides and risks of further incidents, while a man is missing after a embankment collapsed on his house in Natividade da Serra. On the coast, two people died in a shipwreck in Ubatuba, and hundreds of homes were flooded.
Intense rains on São Paulo's northern coast, starting at least on Saturday (21/2), continued on Sunday (22/2), accumulating high volumes such as 235 mm in Ubatuba over the last 48 hours and 271 mm in Peruíbe. The National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet) issued a danger alert for the eastern strip of the state, highlighting risks of flooding, slope landslides, and river overflows. The Rio Paraibuna overflowed, but there were no initial reports of homeless or displaced people.
The state Civil Defense mobilized its crisis cabinet in in-person mode for Monday (23/2), from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., to coordinate responses. Teams are conducting inspections and monitoring in risk areas, with the strong rain alert extended. In Ubatuba, the Camburi neighborhood was the most affected, with around 400 homes flooded; 15 families were left homeless and another 15 displaced. On Saturday night, two people died in a shipwreck amid the rains.
Three highways were closed: Dom Paulo Rolim Loureiro (SP-098) fully blocked at km 77 (Mogi das Cruzes) and 98 (Bertioga), with alternative via the Anchieta-Imigrantes system; Tamoios (SP-099) with partial closure on Serra Antiga in Caraguatatuba due to over 100 mm of rain, and traffic via Serra Nova in convoy pending; and Oswaldo Cruz (SP-125) fully closed at km 81 in Ubatuba due to a landslide, with alternatives via SP-099 and SP-171. This highway recorded six landslides over the weekend, including one at km 67 that hit a farm.
In Natividade da Serra, near km 64 of SP-125, an embankment landslide hit a residence on Sunday, leaving a 50-year-old man missing. Searches by the Fire Department and Civil Defense were suspended at night for safety and are set to resume on Monday. The area was isolated due to the risk of further landslides. Civil Defense advises avoiding risk areas and following official alerts. For Monday, a morning of sun with isolated showers at night is forecast in the eastern strip.
