Ribeirão Preto storm kills one, leaves thousands without power and prompts federal aid FAST-MOVING
A severe storm struck Ribeirão Preto and surrounding municipalities in São Paulo's interior on the night of July 24, 2024. Wind gusts reached up to 122 km/h in nearby Pradópolis and rain fell at a rate of 24 mm in 30 minutes. The event caused the death of an 82‑year‑old man when a structure collapsed onto his home and injured two others.
Infrastructure damage was extensive: dozens of trees and power poles fell, 54 transmission towers and more than 250 poles were damaged, and 41 schools suffered structural harm, five of them severely. Twenty‑nine health facilities, including 20 basic health units, were also affected. The campus of the University of São Paulo in Ribeirão Preto experienced roof collapses and damage to multiple laboratories.
Power outages affected about 2 % of the city's customers and roughly 15 000 residences in neighboring towns; by July 26 more than 6 000 units remained without electricity. The municipal government declared a state of emergency for 180 days and a public calamity. Federal Vice President Geraldo Alckmin visited the area, announced the recognition of emergency status for six municipalities and confirmed the release of federal funds, allowing affected families to withdraw up to 50 % of their FGTS balances. CPFL Paulista began rebuilding efforts, focusing on 54 towers and 250+ poles.
Entities: CPFL Paulista · Geraldo Alckmin · Ribeirão Preto · Tarcísio de Freitas · University of São Paulo (USP)
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 4 SOURCES] A severe storm hit Ribeirão Preto and neighboring municipalities on the night of 24 July 2024. (c19d26fe-91b8-417d-9f8b-321b40277f1a, c44c88db-5299-4427-8737-23f9bb274e22, 3f24abe9-db97-489a-9e60-0a7c3a1dbed7, 635dc4)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Wind gusts reached up to 122 km/h in Pradópolis, with other locations reporting up to 70 km/h. (c19d26fe-91b8-417d-9f8b-321b40277f1a, 15eeab36-915d-4a81-9e5f-12f5813b7538, 4658726e-4f2c-4d3b-93c1-897628edff4e)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Federal Vice President Geraldo Alckmin announced emergency recognition for six municipalities and authorized families to withdraw up to 50 % of their FGTS balances. (feccb613-ff70-4bf1-8954-8d50b15d5404, b76520df-4e4d-4b94-bf2c-ad2cb6d05932, 31775d0b-7623-4376-b9dc-0029c66de172)
- [● 3 SOURCES] One person, an 82‑year‑old man, died after a structure collapsed onto his house. (c19d26fe-91b8-417d-9f8b-321b40277f1a, c44c88db-5299-4427-8737-23f9bb274e22, fb5f6798-1f51-4e04-9598-ca809d8cb4b9)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Rainfall of 24 mm was recorded in about 30 minutes during the storm. (c19d26fe-91b8-417d-9f8b-321b40277f1a)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Twenty‑nine health facilities were hit, including 20 basic health units. (c44c88db-5299-4427-8737-23f9bb274e22, 635dc46e-2999-4b80-8bc4-9530efaffd6d, 31775d0b-7623-4376-b9dc-0029c66de172)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Power outages affected about 2 % of Ribeirão Preto customers and roughly 15 000 residences in nearby towns; more than 6 000 units remained without electricity by July 26. (feccb613-ff70-4bf1-8954-8d50b15d5404, 635dc46e-2999-4b80-8bc4-9530efaffd6d, 31775d0b-7623-4376-b9dc-0029c66de172, 99d658)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Approximately 41 schools suffered structural damage, with five severely damaged. (c44c88db-5299-4427-8737-23f9bb274e22, 635dc46e-2999-4b80-8bc4-9530efaffd6d, 31775d0b-7623-4376-b9dc-0029c66de172)