The storms began just as residents of Brumadinho, a town in the same state, gathered for the first anniversary of a dam break that left up to 270 dead. The fire department, which scrambled to help victims of the storm, is still looking for 11 people who went missing and are presumed dead after the dam burst, releasing an avalanche of mud. A community activist in Brumadinho, Fernanda Perdigão de Oliveira, said she felt as if last year’s tragedy was happening all over again. “Minas became a time bomb with these torrential rains.”Brumadinho is one of 120 towns that are now under a state of emergency because of the current storm, according to local fire departments. The National Mining Agency said Monday that it demanded that companies in charge of the dams keep a close watch on them in Minas Gerais and three other states at least until Friday.

Source: New York Times January 27, 2020 18:16 UTC