Incessant rain over the past two weeks has triggered fatal landslides and flooding in areas around Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. In what is already being referred to as Brazil’s worst natural disaster in half a century, 540 people have perished across the cities of Nova Friburgo, Teresópolis, and Petrópolis, and scores of others are missing. Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have approved funds to purchase large quantities of tarps, blankets, basic food, hygiene kits and especially clean drinking water for those affected by the devastating floods in Brazil.
Though the exact numbers are still uncertain, due to disruptions in communications and transportation routes, thousands of people in the affected areas have lost their homes in massive landslides.