Brazil floods leave 31 dead, 500,000 homeless

At least 31 people are dead and 500,000 homeless in floods that have hit Brazil. The floods are due to months of rain from the Amazon jungle to the Atlantic coast.

The consistent heavy rainfall from the Amazon jungle to the Atlantic coast has resulted in the floods that have have killed at least 31 people and left an estimated 500,000 people homeless with the toll rising. CNN reports: 270 towns and communities in 10 states have been flooded by swollen rivers, and approximately one third of the deaths have occurred in the Ceara state in the north-eastern region of the country, according to officials. The government is sending food, supplies and other aid however they can only reach some communities by helicopter as the roads are flooded. It has been raining constantly in some areas for over two weeks and it is forecast to continue for at least another 10 days. Meteorologists and weather specialists are puzzled by the concentration of the rain in the normally dry northeastern area of the nation.Some claim it is due to changing ocean temperatures, while others blame it on deforestation that led to climate change. More than 120 people were killed and almost 30 were missing in floods in the southern region of the nation last November and December.