Landslides devastated a mountain community in Brazil
Unusually heavy rainfall this February meant disaster for Petrópolis, a city of 300,000 that sits in the mountains north of Rio de Janeiro. According to the state’s fire department, more than 10 inches (25.8 centimeters) of rain fell over the area in just three hours. The rain trigged flooding and landslides that were so damaging, more than 500 emergency workers had to respond, Reuters reported.
Photos of the city showed entire homes reduced to rubble. Large objects like cars and trees were carried away by the brown floodwaters. 233 people died as a result of the tragedy, the BBC reported. Many of the area’s residents lived in homes that were built along the mountainside, making the area especially vulnerable to so much damage during the rain and mudslides that followed.
