The old Serra da Tamoios highway in Brazil was reopened after being closed for 37 hours due to heavy rain and landslides, leaving many affected in nearby towns.
The old Serra da Tamoios highway, which connects São José dos Campos to the coastal region of São Paulo, was reopened by the concessionaire around 10:50 AM on Tuesday after a 37-hour closure. The road was initially shut down on Sunday night after the company's meteorological monitoring system issued an alert due to heavy rainfall in the area. During this period, five landslides were reported, but fortunately, there were no casualties.
The reopening followed significant rainfall that heavily impacted several coastal towns, with Peruíbe being among the hardest hit. Reports indicated that the city experienced street and house flooding, leading to 300 people being left homeless and another 100 dislocated. The local government also suspended municipal school classes for the day as a precautionary measure due to the weather conditions.
In addition to the situation in Peruíbe, other regions like Ubatuba reported damage from the storm, highlighting the severe weather's effects on infrastructure and community safety. With such occurrences becoming increasingly common, there are calls for improved monitoring and response strategies to mitigate future impacts on affected communities.
