Brazil’s deadly mudslides reflect neglect, climate change

By DIANE JEANTET
Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — This week’s landslides in the Brazilian city of Petropolis tore down houses and ripped families apart. Authorities have long blamed extreme rainfall as responsible for the many tragedies that have hit the region. But experts, former and current public servant disagree. They say the landslides that killed at least 136 this week and hundreds more in recent decades were predictable. Rapid urbanization, poor planning and lack of financing for subsidized housing have afflicted the city. Repeated warnings about the high risk of mountainside construction and calls to relocate residents haven’t translated into meaningful action.