The streets were turned into rivers and houses swept away on Tuesday when Petropolis, a town in the hills north of Rio de Janeiro, received an unusually high amount of rain within three hours, 258 millimeters. This was more than the prior 30 days combined, and the worst the city had seen since 1932.

According to The National Natural Disaster Alert Monitoring Center, of the rain recorded during that day, 250 mm was recorded between 4:20pm and 7:20pm. The climatological normal for the month of February was 185 millimeters. It was the biggest storm in the history of Petrópolis, since measurements began in 1932.

The high level of precipitation caused flooding within the city as well as destabilized the mountainside, causing mudslides.

Videos of the disaster were widely shared on social media, showing cars and houses being dragged by landslides.

At least 146 people have died so far and 191 people remain missing, officials said.

Surviving residents that had lived in high-risk areas were taken to local schools that had been converted to temporary shelters.

The National Natural Disaster Alert Monitoring Center issued an alert on the magnitude of the storm two days before the floods in February 15. According to specialists, the warning should have prompted the authorities to mobilize to evacuate the residents. (ILKHA)