Official
Severe Weather
Brazil (Update)
On 21 March, the Brazil National Civil Defense (DCN per its acronym in Portuguese) provided an update to the heavy rains and subsequent landslides that have been occurring in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro since February. Heavy rains that occurred between 20-21 March in the region have caused the deaths of 5 people, in addition to 233 deaths caused by landslides; in total, there were 238 deaths. There are currently 1,128 people in 23 temporary shelters, 4 people remain missing, and there continues to be high risk for subsequent landslides in the near future due to continued rainfall. The report is available at: DCN.
Colombia
On 22 March, in Colombia, the Governor of the Department of Cundinamarca, Nicolás Garciá Bustos, reported that due to events related to the winter rainy season in the region, 50 municipalities have been affected and 7 fatalities have occurred. The Departmental Risk Management Committee is considering issuing a public state of emergency so that aid towards infrastructure and roads can be distributed. According to media reports, there have been 116 events in the department of Cundinamarca. The municipality of Villeta has been particularly affected by the flooding and has reported that 12,000 residents of 7 villages were affected by landslides, and 2 children died due to the overflow of a nearby stream. The reports are available at: Governor of the Department of Cundinamarca, Radio Santa Fe, and Noticias Caracol.