Brazil Storm: Death toll rises to 50

Brazilian authorities announced Thursday night that at least 50 people had died as a result of floods and landslides brought on by torrential rains in the southeast of the country. Rescuers are still sifting through the rubble.

“The more time passes, the less likely it is to find survivors. But we always work with that in mind. There can always be air pockets under the rubble,” emergency official Villas Boas told news site G1.

After the accident, scores of individuals are still missing, according to the state government of Sao Paulo.

The lovely beach resort town of Sao Sebastiao and the surrounding area received more rain in a single day last weekend than the entire month of February did, which led to severe floods and landslides that tore through settlements perched precariously on hillsides.

Tarcisio de Freitas, the governor of Sao Paulo, acknowledged that the official weather alert system had not prevented the disaster.

“We sent 2.6 million alerts by text message, but as we saw, that wasn’t effective,” he said.

“Next rainy season, there will be sirens to warn people in high-risk areas.”

Among Brazil's 215 million citizens, an estimated 9.5 million reside in poor favela neighborhoods and other places in great danger of flooding or landslides.

Experts believe that climate change is likely making a succession of devastating weather disasters that the South American nation has seen in recent years worse.

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