Brazil downpour displaces 30,000, bracing for more rain

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – More than 30,000 people have been forced from their homes in Brazil’s southeast region by torrential rains that also killed 54 people. The storms caused floods and landslides, submerging entire neighborhoods and sending homes tumbling down hillsides in the states of Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro starting January 23. Rains subsided by Monday but are expected to resume later this week in Minas Gerais. Those evacuated are being housed in makeshift shelters in churches, schools and fire stations. Local authorities have asked for donations of clothes, sheets and mattresses for the victims.