2008 Santa Catarina Floods

The 2008 Santa Catarina floods were floods in the Santa Catarina, Brazil in November 2008. It occurred after a period of heavy rainfall during late November 2008, most significantly during days 20, 21, 22 and 23 of November. The state suffered constant rainfalls for over two months (during late September, October, and November) on the coast, which turned the soil wet enough to cause a landslide during the storm that hit the state in late November. It affected around 60 towns and over 1.5 million people in the state of Santa Catarina in Brazil. At least 128 people are confirmed to have been killed with over 78,700 being forced to evacuate their homes. A further 150,000 have been left without electricity, while water rationing is being carried out in at least one town due to purification problems. Santa Catarina state Governor Luiz Henrique da Silveira had earlier suggested that the final death toll was likely to be over 50, a figure that has proved optimistic. Several towns in the region have become cut off due to floodwater and landslide debris and on November 23 the Mayor of Blumenau, João Paulo Kleinubing, declared a state of emergency in the city. Water levels in the Vale do Itajaí have risen to eleven metres above normal.