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Bolsonaro sends aid to northeastern Brazil amid deadly floods News

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The government has earmarked $ 35.5 million for disaster relief after 20 people were killed and nearly 50,000 displaced in the state of Bahia due to severe flooding.

The Brazilian government has announced $ 35.5 million (200 million Brazilian reais) to help with disasters in the northeast of the country. where 20 people were killed and tens of thousands have been displaced by severe flooding.

116 cities in the northeastern state of Bahia were in a state of emergency on Tuesday as a result of heavy rains hitting the region since late November.

Cities in at least five other states in northern and southeastern Brazil have also been flooded in recent days.

The situation in Bahia, which has a population of about 15 million, worsened significantly on Christmas Eve, when many residents had to leave their homes on higher ground after leaving a couple of dams. Rainfall is expected to continue in many regions throughout the week.

Brazilian far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, Who is on vacation in the southern state of Santa Catarina, announced Twitter support on Tuesday morning.

Brazilian Regional Development Secretary Rogerio Marinho said more support would be on the way. “We are waiting for a more detailed assessment to see what (damage) is needed, and we will do whatever is necessary,” he told reporters.

Bay Rui Governor Rui Costa said nearly 50,000 people had been displaced and 5,000 new homes would have to be built at a cost of $ 71 million (400 million reais).

“The predation is tremendous,” Costa told reporters. “It looks like Bahia has been bombed.”

In recent days, dramatic scenes of rescue workers have spread across large areas of Bahia as residents were pulled out of second-floor windows.

Five other dams in Bahia are in danger of exploding, disaster relief officials said. State bridges and federal and state roads were destroyed and temporarily rebuilt to bring food and other items to people in need.

State firefighters said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that they had ordered the evacuation of neighborhoods in four municipalities because of the “imminent risk of flooding.”

It is the heaviest rainfall in Bahia in 32 years, according to the National Center for Natural Disaster Monitoring and Alert, the government agency said on its website.

In the south of Bahia, it rained five times more than usual at this time of year.



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