Recent floods and mudslides in northern Brazil have killed at least 15 people and left 180,000 homeless, the country's National Civil Defense said on Tuesday, Xinhua reported.
About 70,000 of the homeless are currently residing in public shelters. Heavy rains has already affected more than 190 cities in seven states, according to the Civil Defense. In some regions, heavy rains have caused collapse of dams.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited the most affected states of Piaui and Maranhao on Tuesday. He accused Brazil's former administrations of failing to invest in infrastructure for the past 30 years, which he said could have reduced the impact of floods.
Meanwhile, Lula also noted that other parts of Brazil is suffering from draught that can not be ignored.
"We have problems with floods and draught in the same country," he said. Santa Catarina state, which underwent massive floods in late 2008, is now suffering from a draught.
Lula urged the local authorities to sort out all the damages in these regions, assuring that the federal government will provide food and medicine to those affected by the disasters.
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