Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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May 12, 2009

40 Dead, 300,000 Homeless in Brazil Flooding
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=2430CD3:A6F02AD83191E160812D93057AAF8E6AC030207A0BD70133&
 
Forecasters say unusually heavy rain has been falling for more than two
months across region, and pattern is expected to continue 
Aerial view of flooded town of Boa Vista do Gurupi, Maranhao state,
Brazil, 11 May 2009Officials in northeastern Brazil say 40 people are
dead and some 300,000 others are now homeless following the area's worst
flooding in recent memory. One aid group there says that although water
levels have begun to recede in some areas, they are still rising in
places such as the jungle state of Amazonas. Forecasters say the
unusually heavy rain has been falling for more than two months across
the region, and the pattern is expected to continue. The severe weather
has isolated communities, flooded highways and hampered efforts to get
emergency aid to trapped, fleeing and displaced residents. But in the
hard-hit state of Maranhao, officials expected to begin distributing
tons of food, medicine and other supplies airlifted in by military
planes. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Monday that
the bad weather is a sign of climate change. He was quoted as saying
places that are normally dry are receiving rainfall, while the opposite
is happening in other areas. A drought in southern Brazil has affected
the famed Iguazu falls, which border both Brazil and Argentina. The lack
of rain has reduced the amount of water flowing over the falls.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters. 


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