Tornado damage in Paraná state, city begins cleaning and inspecting houses

• Traces of tragedy: Tornado leaves more than 1,000 homeless and homeless in interior Paraná state, state government says
• After the destruction caused by the tornadoRio Bonito do Iguacu City Hall is appealing for donations. find a way to help

According to a civil defense report released on Saturday, 90% of the city was destroyed by strong winds exceeding 250 km/h. The phenomenon hit the city and nearby areas from Friday to Saturday.

Rio Bonito do Iguacu has a population of approximately 14,000 people. According to a state government bulletin released this Sunday morning, at least 1,000 people were left homeless, 14,600 were directly affected, and 784 were injured in areas in the tornado’s path.

The group said its priorities include cleaning roads and homes and assessing the situation of resistance groups. For the evaluation of the property, we received support from the Housing Company of the State of Paraná (Cohapar) and the Regional Council for Engineering and Agriculture of the State (CREA/PR). Ten CREA/PR engineers have already arrived in the city to assess the damage to houses. Since yesterday, teams have also been working to restore electricity and water supply to the city.

• A new start: Paraná state provides 50,000 reais aid to families whose homes were destroyed by tornado, Lula government should release FGTS

—The focus today is to start cleaning the city in earnest, to start clearing the debris, primarily to assess the damage and losses so that we can provide financial resources to these people, these vendors in the shortest possible time, in other words to restore normalcy within the municipality, — said the State Civil Defense Coordinator, Colonel Fernando Schunig, this Sunday morning at a press conference in Rio Bonito do Iguaçu.

The image shows the situation in which the municipality was left. Hundreds of properties were damaged. Nearby municipalities have set up emergency shelters to accommodate families without a place to stay, the first of which was in the city of Laranjeiras do Sul.

The tornado has injured more than 830 people and killed six people since Friday, five in Rio Bonito do Iguacu and one in the neighboring municipality of Guarapuaba. As of Sunday morning, 32 victims remained hospitalized.

— Fortunately, there are no more records of victims or missing persons. Obviously, if there is a need in this regard, the fire department’s team will remain here – Schunig emphasized.

The government also announced the establishment of screening centers and psychological reception centers to support families. The unit is fully operational.

In addition to Julia Kwapis, four other people died in Rio Bonito do Iguaçu and one person died in the neighboring municipality of Guarapuaba. The victims were identified as:

• Julia Kwapis, 14 years old (Rio Bonito do Iguacu)
• Adrian Maria de Moura, 47 years old (Rio Bonito do Iguacu)
• Jurandil Nogueira Ferreira, 49 years old (Rio Bonito do Iguacu)
• Claudino Paulino Risse, 57 years old (Rio Bonito do Iguacu)
• Jose Gieteschi, 83 years old (Rio Bonito do Iguacu)
• Jose Neri Jeremias, 53 years old (Guarapuaba)

It was the deadliest tornado in the state in 30 years, according to available records.

According to the governor, the tornado that hit the city had wind speeds of over 250 kilometers per hour. Until Friday night, the Paraná Environmental Technical Monitoring System (Simepar) classified tornadoes as F2 with wind speeds between 180 km/h and 250 km/h.

But the agency has already said there is evidence that speeds have been exceeded in some locations. If wind speeds exceed 253km/h, the tornado category will be raised to F3, a “severe” risk.