BELO HORIZONTE: The death toll from flooding and landslides in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state rose to 62, the Minas Gerais Military Fire Department said in a bulletin issued at 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26. The agency said 56 deaths were confirmed in Juiz de Fora and six in Ubá, two cities in the Zona da Mata region about 110 kilometers apart. Seven people were still reported missing, including five in Juiz de Fora and two in Ubá, as emergency crews continued searches in areas hit by mud and debris.
The storms began late Monday, Feb. 23, and intensified into Tuesday, bringing flash floods, slope failures and widespread damage across multiple neighborhoods. In Juiz de Fora, one of the hardest hit areas was Parque Burnier, where 12 properties collapsed, according to local officials and emergency responders. City authorities said rivers and drainage channels overflowed in several districts, leaving streets covered in mud and forcing residents to evacuate amid continuing instability on saturated hillsides.
Firefighters and other responders expanded operations as additional reports of landslides and building damage came in throughout the week. The state fire department said it responded to 83 calls linked to landslides and recorded 239 rescues since the start of the emergency. The Minas Gerais Civil Police said 53 victims had been identified by Thursday night, while forensic teams continued work to confirm identities and release bodies to families as recoveries progressed.
Rescue operations and displacement
Authorities said 4,706 people were displaced across the three main municipalities affected by the disaster. The fire department’s bulletin put the displaced total at 3,500 in Juiz de Fora, 396 in Ubá and 810 in Matias Barbosa, a neighboring city that was also heavily affected but had not reported deaths as of the latest update. Municipal agencies opened shelters and coordinated temporary housing support, while crews worked to clear roads, remove debris and restore access to neighborhoods cut off by floodwaters and mud.
The federal government activated disaster assistance measures after recognizing a state of calamity in Juiz de Fora and issuing summary recognitions for Ubá and Matias Barbosa. The Ministry of Integration and Regional Development approved initial work plans for emergency restoration and humanitarian support, with R$ 2.9 million planned for Juiz de Fora and R$ 482.4 thousand for Ubá. Federal civil defense teams and health support personnel were deployed to reinforce local response, alongside coordination meetings to streamline aid delivery and essential services.
Rainfall records and ongoing alerts
Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology reported exceptional rainfall totals during the episode, including record monthly accumulation in Juiz de Fora for February. In an update posted Thursday, the institute said a conventional weather station in Juiz de Fora recorded 733.6 millimeters for the month by 9 a.m. on Feb. 26, the highest monthly total in its series dating to 1961. National monitoring agencies also issued updated advisories during the week highlighting elevated geo-hydrological risks in parts of Minas Gerais, including the Zona da Mata, as soils remained saturated.
Searches for the missing continued in Juiz de Fora and Ubá as authorities compiled new damage reports and verified casualty figures. Officials said updated totals would be released as recoveries, identifications and field assessments progressed, and they urged residents to follow civil defense guidance in areas affected by flooding, slope instability and structural damage. Municipalities continued documenting impacts to qualify for additional federal support through Brazil’s disaster information system and related emergency procedures – By Content Syndication Services.