Cities in emergency situation dawn flooded after new storms in SC

Intense rains once again caused damage in the west of Santa Catarina this Saturday morning (7). Throughout the week, three tornadoes - two in the region - and two microexplosions were confirmed in the state by Civil Defense.

According to the state agency, flash floods and flooding were recorded in Abdon Batista, Vargem and Zortéa. The cities are among the 62 that had already declared an emergency situation throughout the week.

In Abdon Batista, heavy rains caused flash floods and flooding in the central region, causing damage to two public buildings and affecting several homes.

There were 184 millimeters of rain in a 12-hour period, between Friday night and Saturday morning. The mayor of Abdon Batista, Lucimar Salmória, appealed to residents in a video posted on the city hall's Instagram to look for safe places.

"Abdon literally woke up underwater. We ask the entire population to be cautious, and to go to a safe place. Our teams are mobilizing to do everything in their power so that we can provide a response to everyone as soon as possible," he stated.

In Vargem, flooding and flash floods were also recorded in the central area, with damage to a public building and residences affected.

In Zortéa, intense rains caused flash floods and flooding in the Center, affecting several homes.

The number of homes affected had not been recorded until the last update of the report. There are no reports of homeless, displaced or injured people this Saturday.