A severe storm swept through the metropolitan area of São Paulo on the afternoon of December 20, 2024, leaving approximately 662,400 customers without power. The storm, characterized by intense winds exceeding 80 kilometers per hour and heavy rainfall, severely impacted communities across the region, triggering widespread power outages and causing significant flooding.
The electric utility company Enel, which serves São Paulo and surrounding municipalities, reported the peak number of outages around 6 PM. By 7:30 PM, the number of affected customers fell to 167,846 as crews worked diligently to restore service. Residents of areas such as Pompeia, located in the city’s West zone, were particularly affected.
According to Enel, the hardest-hit regions included the West, East, and North zones of São Paulo city, along with municipalities like Pirapora do Bom Jesus, which experienced power loss for about one-third of its residents. The company explained, "Acionamos antecipadamente o plano de operação, com mobilização adicional das equipes em campo que seguem trabalhando para restabelecer a energia o mais brevemente possível para os clientes que tiveram o serviço afetado," underscoring their rapid response efforts to mitigate the crisis.
Numerous reports described alarming scenes of flooding across the city, with nine areas still marked as impassable by evening. The northeastern parts of the capital saw significant overflow from local rivers, prompting concerns for the safety and mobility of residents. The fire department received over 111 calls relating to fallen trees, mostly attributed to the high winds.
Traffic disruption reached staggering levels, with the Companhia de Engenharia de Tráfego (CET) reporting over 600 kilometers of congestion across the city streets, complicifying normal commutes and delivery routes. The storm's ferocity was such than at one point, 11 locations downtown were recorded as being inundated, severely impacting public transportation and access to emergency services.
The state of São Paulo’s Civil Defense had issued alerts throughout the day, declaring states of attention and later alert for specific subregions as conditions worsened. This proactive stance aimed to minimize potential injuries and prepare local responders for immediate action.
A snapshot of the storm’s impact shows persistent concerns for local health facilities, with flooding causing some sites to temporarily close. Multiple health units across districts were impacted, particularly those near waterways prone to flooding, which had been rejuvenated by previous rain from the earlier months.
The overall response from Enel has been to bolster their teams on the ground and maintain communication with affected individuals through digital channels to minimize the disruption as power restoration efforts continued. They emphasized the importance of reporting issues via their online platforms, ensuring faster and more organized responses.
Analysts noted the recurring nature of such severe weather events as linked to broader climate patterns affecting the region, marking calls for enhanced infrastructure to withstand future storms as necessary. The recent history of extreme weather has underscored vulnerabilities within the metropolitan grid, prompting discussions on upgrades and future preparedness measures.
Despite the chaos, the storm resulted, fortunately, in no reports of fatalities or missing persons. Concerns linger about the potential ramifications for future weather events as both the Civil Defense and local meteorologists continue to monitor conditions closely.
Looking forward, officials are alerting residents to be prepared for additional weather disturbances as forecasts indicate more rain, potentially compounding the situation already faced after this recent storm.
