The Paraná Environmental Technical Monitoring System (Cimepal) confirmed this Monday that three tornadoes occurred in the state during last Friday’s storm, when winds reached 330 km/h in Rio Bonito do Iguacu. In addition to this incident, authorities also identified formations in Turbo and Guarapuaba in the south-central part of the state. This conclusion comes from analysis of radar, video, overflight, and ground inspection; other possible events are still being investigated.
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A video released Saturday, including aerial photos, shows the destruction left in the area by the tornado’s passage. The total number of deaths due to this phenomenon is six, five in this municipality alone and one in Garapuaba.
Tornado passes through interior of Paraná state causing destruction and deaths
The Rio Bonito do Iguazu tornado was classified as category F3 (range F0 to F5) on the Fujita scale, with wind speeds estimated at 300 km/h to 330 km/h. The supercellular storm hit the city around 6 p.m., destroying homes, warehouses and power lines.
Two other severe storms later also produced tornadoes. In Guarapuaba, the phenomenon was classified as F2, with wind speeds approaching 250 km/h, and mainly affected the Entre Ríos area. In Turbo, south of the city center, the tornado was also considered an F2, with wind speeds estimated at 200 km/h.
The agency said Friday’s atmospheric conditions were characterized by intense heat, high humidity, and strong instability, creating conditions that were conducive to severe storms. Intensification and changes in wind direction at various levels of the atmosphere contributed to the formation of tornadoes.
In addition to analysis of images from Cascavel’s weather radar, the investigation was aided by records made by residents and local media outlets, as well as overflights by Simepal meteorologists accompanied by technicians from the Rio Bonito do Iguaçu region’s fire department.
The agency reported that new testing will be conducted in the coming days to confirm additional reports of strong winds and possible tornado outbreaks in other parts of the state.
Governor Lacinho Jr. (PSD) declared a state of public disaster in Rio Bonito do Iguacu, where he said around 90% of buildings were damaged. This act was approved by the federal government.
— We are here to conduct a field survey of the affected infrastructure. I declared a state of public disaster as approximately 90% of the city was affected. This allows for faster assistance and frees up resources. It has already been decided that Kohapal is studying housing reconstruction strategies and preparing accommodation facilities to ensure support for families, the governor said.
On Saturday, Minister of Institutional Affairs Gleij Hoffmann also visited the city accompanied by a team from the National Civil Defense. She informed that the Federal Government had activated the Caixa Economica Federal to accelerate the withdrawal of FGTS due to the calamity of the affected workers.
Additionally, the state government has sent a bill to the Legislative Assembly that would allow up to 50,000 reais to be transferred to each family left homeless in the disaster.
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