By Bruno Donizette
Two tornadoes struck the western part of Santa Catarina, a state in southern Brazil, on Wednesday (Nov. 4), leaving destruction in the cities of Chapecó and Xanxerê. The state Civil Defense, Brazil's disaster-response agency, confirmed both events. By Wednesday night it counted 86 municipalities hit by storms and 4,441 homes affected since Sunday (Nov. 1).
Radar confirms rotating winds in Chapecó and Xanxerê
The first tornado was identified in Chapecó at around 10:30 a.m., after weather radar images showed rotating circulation inside the storm. A station of the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet) recorded gusts of up to 126 km/h (about 78 mph) in the city. A Civil Defense device recorded 93 km/h (about 58 mph) at another point.
About 18 minutes later, at around 10:48 a.m., the same line of instability produced a second tornado, in Xanxerê. Radar showed signs of rotation and debris lifted by the force of the wind. The city's weather station recorded gusts of 80 km/h (about 50 mph), but technicians acknowledge that higher speeds may have occurred in other locations.
Chapecó airport suspends operations
In Chapecó, the damage reached the Serafim Enoss Bertaso Airport. Metal structures and parts of the facilities were damaged. The company that operates the airport suspended landings and takeoffs to assess safety conditions and begin repairing the infrastructure.
Xanxerê: more than 200 homes get tarps
By Wednesday afternoon, more than 200 homes in Xanxerê had received plastic tarps, according to a regional Civil Defense survey. The city also reports damage to industrial facilities, fallen trees and overturned vehicles on the BR-282 highway, along with obstructions on the SC-480 highway. Municipal crews are still surveying the extent of the losses.
13 cities declare emergency; people left homeless
The state tally shows the problem goes well beyond the two cities hit by tornadoes. Thirteen municipalities have declared a state of emergency since Sunday. The survey counts 34 people left homeless and another 24 displaced.
The 14 municipalities covered by the Alto Irani Regional Civil Defense also reported incidents tied to strong winds, with damage to homes, businesses, public buildings and farm structures. In Vargeão, roofs were torn off farm sheds and trees fell in various rural areas, causing power outages and difficulty traveling on roads.
Why it matters: farm losses still unknown
Western Santa Catarina is a farming region, and there is still no consolidated assessment of losses to agricultural production, including crops, poultry houses and livestock facilities. The scale of the damage in the countryside depends on evaluations by local teams and agencies that assist the sector.
More trouble may be ahead. The forecast calls for new instability with the arrival of another cold front starting Friday (Nov. 6). Civil Defense continues to monitor the weather, and the situation calls for attention from authorities and farmers in the most vulnerable areas.
VDD Analysis
A storm does not choose a party or a region, but the response to it shows the strength or weakness of public administration. When an airport shuts down, hundreds of families depend on tarps and 13 cities declare emergency, it is fair to demand permanent readiness from city governments and the state government: efficient monitoring, fast relief and real support for those who lost their roofs, homes and crops.
