Brasília, 2/4/2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The ministries of National Integration, Defense, Agriculture and Health have gone into action to assist flood victims throughout the country, but mainly in the Northeast. At the moment emergency action is underway to get shelter, medicine and food to the needy.

It has been raining hard and regularly in most of Brazil since the beginning of December. However, this weekend, beginning on Saturday, January 31, the situation got worse with torrential rains in much of the country.

Here is a breakdown on the situation throughout Brazil:

Homeless people 104,325
Homes destroyed 4,206
Homes damaged 28,356
Deaths 84
Injured 111
Bridges destroyed 16
Municipals affected 350
States affected 15

(AB)