Cyclone Hits South
Brazilian State, Leaving
1,600 Homeless
An extra-tropical
cyclone striking the
southern Brazilian state
of Santa Catarina has
left more than 1,600
people homeless, the
local civil defense
department said Tuesday.
At least eight
municipalities, among 33
affected by the cyclone,
have declared a state of
emergency, according to
the state's civil
defense department.
"The priority of the
state and of the
municipalities is to
provide an immediate
response to the
population," the
department's director,
Marcio Luiz Alves, said
Tuesday.
Major roads in the state
have been blocked as a
result of storm damage,
preventing federal and
state governments from
delivering aid to
victims.
In the neighboring Rio
Grande do Sul state,
three people were
reported to have been
killed by the cyclone
and some 25,000 have
been forced to
temporarily leave their
homes.
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