Cyclone hits S Brazilian state, leaving thousands homeless
Pastor Dale Morgan
Cyclone hits S Brazilian state, leaving thousands homeless*
2008-05-07 10:34:36
RIO DE JANEIRO, May 6 (Xinhua) -- An extra-tropical cyclone striking
the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina has left more than 1,600
people homeless, the local civil defense department said Tuesday.
At least eight municipalities, among 33 affected by the cyclone,
have declared a state of emergency, according to the state's civil
defense department.
"The priority of the state and of the municipalities is to provide
an immediate response to the population," the department's director,
Marcio Luiz Alves, said Tuesday.
Major roads in the state have been blocked as a result of storm
damage, preventing federal and state governments from delivering aid to
victims.
In the neighboring Rio Grande do Sul state, three people were
reported to have been killed by the cyclone and some 25,000 have been
forced to temporarily leave their homes.