Brazil: Photos of a country hit by hail, rain and high winds · Global Voices
Paula Góes

The past week was marked by violent storm in many Brazilian states. Seven people died in the southern Brazilian states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, while four people died in a São Paulo slum after a mudslide swept into a slum last Tuesday. Thousands of people have been made homeless across the country. The photos below have been taken in different places of the country and shared under Creative Commons licenses on Flickr.
On September 8th, at 10:30 in the morning, 70% of the rain expected for the whole month had fallen in São Paulo, as reported by flicker user gd365. This is said to be the most rainy winter since 1943. As a result, there were traffic jams and cut off phone services and electricity in some neighbourhoods of Latin America's biggest metropolis.
Photo by gd365
Later on the day, in another part of the city, Flicker user ManoelNetto described the scene unfolding in front of him as “The Apocalypse”.
Photo by Flicker user ManoelNetto
(15h55) Dá um saque no final dos tempos. Essa foto foi tirada por volta de 15h, da janela do 9o andar da Abril (Marginal Pinheiros).
Photo by alémdoquesevê_2
Veja que delícia, dia começou com céu preto com sol…
Faculdade teve apagão (o negocio da luz explodiu bem na minha frente) e alagou, a rua alagou, o metro alagou, minha calça molhou (mesmo tendo guarda-chuva,que ficou levemente destruido), e bem na hora que tenho que sair de novo o dia virou noite de novo e sem condiçoes de eu ir pra rua, ah e agora a luz daqui ta ameaçando acabar e eu cheia de coisas pra fazer no computador…ê dia bom
There was a blackout in the university (the light bulb exploded right in front of me) and flood, the street flooded, the subway flooded, my pants got wet (even with an umbrella, which was slightly destroyed), and just when I had to leave again the day turned to night and there is no way I can go out, ah, and now the light here is threatening to go away and I have a lot of stuff to do on the computer… oh good day
At 11 AM on the September 9th, the sky so dark that it appeared to be night in São Paulo, as registered by the lens of Flicker user erika.tricroche. About 30 spots around São Paulo were submerged by heavy rain, which also brought traffic on normally congested roads to a standstill.
The luminous sign reads: slow traffic. Photo by erika.tricroche.
Na minha volta pra São Paulo na terça-feira, em pleno Castelo Branco chegando em Barueri, antes de todo caos que a chuva causou: Muito transito + alagamento + destruição + soterramento = caos total!!!!
Ainda bem que ainda era de manhã e cheguei sã e salva!!!!!
Avenida Paulista, the largest avenue in São Paulo, on 3 of September. Photo by Gustavo Minas.
September 11, Tenente Portela, state of Rio Grande do Sul, South of Brazil. Photo by Flicker user Robvini.
September 11, Tenente Portela, state of Rio Grande do Sul, south of Brazil. Photo by Flicker user Robvini.
Unknown city on 8 of September, photo by Flickr user rodrigojunk
A picture taken after the rain in the north-western state of Acre, on September 8th:
Photo by Sérgio Vale/Secom
Chuva na mata traz novos cheiros, novas vidas, novas cores e um pequeno arco-íris se forma colorindo o entardecer
Argentina and Paraguay were also hit by the rain, described as a freak “tornado” by local media. Throughout Brazil, the rain and wind have affected over 70,000 residents in 45 cities. The Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet) forecasts a rainy weekend in all regions of the country.