Half one million residents of Sao Paulo remained with out electrical energy on Monday three days after a storm knocked down energy cables, leaving a lot of Brazil’s largest metropolis at the hours of darkness.
The storm snapped branches and knocked down lots of of timber that fell on overhead energy traces in lots of streets of town, initially reducing off 2.1 million prospects in Metropolitan Sao Paulo, vitality distribution firm ENEL stated.
“The storm was horrible. I had no electrical energy, no cellphone and no gas on Friday,” stated carpenter Denilson Laurindo, who faulted town for not pruning timber within the streets. He stated ENEL promised to revive energy provides by Tuesday.
Thiago Gonzalez, {an electrical} engineer, needed to lease a room in a close-by neighborhood so he and his spouse might get a scorching bathe and sleep with air con.
“I noticed the tree fall and hit the transformer submit. There was an explosion after which the lights went out,” he stated. He complained the couple had misplaced meals and couldn’t refrigerate drugs within the blackout.
College lessons have been canceled on Monday within the worst-hit neighborhoods of town, corresponding to Morumbi the place Gonzalez lives.
ENEL stated it had restored its service to 76% of its prospects however 500,000 have been nonetheless with out electrical energy on Monday.
The corporate, which is the second largest vitality distributor in Brazil and owned by Italy’s vitality group ENEL (ENEI.MI), stated the gale-force winds that hit Sao Paulo on Friday have been the strongest lately and brought on extreme harm to the facility grid as a result of falling timber and branches.
Brazil’s Justice Minister Flavio Dino stated the federal government will ask the corporate for a proof for the blackout.
The Sao Paulo’s state prosecutors workplace stated it’ll examine why so many purchasers within the metropolis the place left for therefore lengthy with out electrical energy and whether or not ENEL has sufficient employees to deal with emergencies within the 24 districts it serves.
Alexandre Vieira Monteiro, a condominium administrator, stated six of the seven buildings he manages have had energy provides restored, however one was nonetheless with out electrical energy in Morumbi.
“Alright, it was an unusually robust storm. However what’s stunning is that 12 months after 12 months there may be not sufficient funding in burying the facility cables. It’s all old-fashioned,” he stated.
