The tornado that hit the interior of Paraná this Friday (8) was classified as EF3, with winds of up to 250 km/h, according to the Paraná Environmental Technology and Monitoring System (Simepar). The extreme phenomenon left six dead, more than 750 injured and destroyed 90% of the city of Rio Bonito do Iguaçu, in the south-central part of the state.
According to g1 , the victims have been identified as:
• José Neri Geremias (53)
• Adriane Maria de Moura (47)
• Jurandir Nogueira Ferreira (49)
• Claudino Paulino Risse (57)
• José Gieteski (83)
• Julia Kwapis (14)
Júlia was at a friend’s house when she was swept away by gusts of wind. Her father, Roberto Kwapis, reported that she was preparing to receive the sacrament of Confirmation over the weekend, and the family was planning a barbecue to celebrate.
Phenomenon of great intensity
According to meteorologist Samuel Braun from Simepar, the tornado’s classification was determined based on images of destruction and radar data. “The atmospheric environment was very humid and warm. There are also other factors, for example, the difference in winds between the surface and the higher levels of the atmosphere. In meteorology, we call this wind shear. So, this wind shear was extremely high. Several factors contributed to the formation of these storms and the tornado in this city,” he explained.
The phenomenon was caused by an extratropical cyclone that hit the south of the country, causing heavy rains and winds also in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina.
Large-scale destruction
Aerial images show houses completely destroyed, vehicles overturned, and trees uprooted in Rio Bonito do Iguaçu, a municipality of about 14,000 inhabitants, located 400 km from Curitiba. The Paraná state government reported that most of the city became uninhabitable and that hundreds of families lost everything.
A resident described the scene to TV Globo: “At the entrance to the city there were already very clear signs that something very horrible had happened. As we went further in, it became more chaotic. A real war zone. An overturned car, a tree in the middle of the street.”
Judo instructor Marcelo Gomes recounted that he was with children at a cultural center when the tornado began. “A student’s father went to close the door and came running. I noticed that a security door started shaking excessively, so I gathered the children and took them to a safer space. When I closed the door, a blast of dust, dirt, and mud came out. We hugged each other inside the bathroom and started praying. When I opened the door, the entire cultural center had collapsed. It was a huge space, everything was on the ground.”
ecurity guard Adilson Camilo reported that his house and pharmacy were destroyed. “We have a pharmacy and we ran out because my daughter was at home. We got there, and within two minutes, everything started flying. Tiles flew, walls flew. We ran to the bathroom, and it exploded there too. We hugged each other and asked God to protect us. The tornado lasted 30, 40 seconds, and it detonated everything. I have two cars, one of them flew ten meters. It looked like an atomic bomb had been dropped.”
Rescue operation and humanitarian aid
The Paraná state government sent 30 firefighters from various cities and 20 agents from the Tactical Rescue Operations Group (GOST), with sniffer dogs, to assist in the search for victims. Ambulances from Cascavel and Guarapuava were also deployed to attend to the injured, while the Health Department made beds available in other regions of the state.
The Minister of Integration and Regional Development, Waldez Góes, reported that the Lula (PT) government is preparing to send humanitarian aid to Paraná, under the president’s coordination.
Governor Ratinho Junior (PSD) declared that a command and coordination base will be set up at the Central Fire Department Headquarters in Guarapuava, from where rescue and reconstruction efforts will be organized. Trucks carrying basic food supplies, hygiene kits, and sleeping quarters left Curitiba in the early morning.
Other regions also affected
Besides Rio Bonito do Iguaçu, other cities in Paraná faced intense winds and structural damage. Dois Vizinhos recorded gusts of 82.4 km/h, Cornélio Procópio reached 76 km/h, and Campo Mourão, 74.2 km/h.
The extratropical cyclone also caused trees and power poles to fall in municipalities in the Southeast region, including São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Authorities remain on alert for new severe storm formations in the coming hours.
The trail of destruction left by the tornado in Paraná is considered one of the most serious climate disasters in the state’s recent history, mobilizing joint efforts between the federal and state governments and rescue teams to assist victims and begin rebuilding the devastated areas.
Source: brasil247.com