Teresopolis

In the remote Campo Grande neighborhood of Teresopolis, now accessible only by a perilous five-mile eight-kilometer hike through mud-slicked jungle, family members pulled the lifeless bodies of loved ones from the muck.

'We Were Like Zombies,' Say Survivors Of Rains That Killed Hundreds AP 2011

Rio state's Civil Defense department said on its website that 222 people were killed in Teresopolis, 214 in nearby Nova Friburgo and 40 in neighboring Petropolis.

'We Were Like Zombies,' Say Survivors Of Rains That Killed Hundreds AP 2011

Rio state's Civil Defense department said on its website that 222 people were killed in Teresopolis, 214 in nearby Nova Friburgo and 40 in neighboring Petropolis.

'We Were Like Zombies,' Say Survivors Of Rains That Killed Hundreds AP 2011

In the remote Campo Grande neighborhood of Teresopolis, now accessible only by a perilous five-mile eight-kilometer hike through mud-slicked jungle, family members pulled the lifeless bodies of loved ones from the muck.

'We Were Like Zombies,' Say Survivors Of Rains That Killed Hundreds AP 2011

But even the rich did not escape the damage in Teresopolis, where large homes were washed away.

'We Were Like Zombies,' Say Survivors Of Rains That Killed Hundreds AP 2011

Teresopolis Mayor Jorge Mario Sedlacek decreed a state of emergency, calling the calamity "the worst to hit the town."

'We Were Like Zombies,' Say Survivors Of Rains That Killed Hundreds AP 2011

Teresopolis Mayor Jorge Mario Sedlacek decreed a state of emergency, calling the calamity "the worst to hit the town."

'We Were Like Zombies,' Say Survivors Of Rains That Killed Hundreds AP 2011

Conceicao Salomao, a doctor coordinating relief efforts at a makeshift refuge inside a gymnasium in central Teresopolis, said about 750 people were staying there Thursday and about 1,000 people had sought treatment in the past day.

'We Were Like Zombies,' Say Survivors Of Rains That Killed Hundreds AP 2011

The cost to rebuild the city of Teresopolis alone was estimated at $60 million, said the city's civil defense secretary, Flavio Luiz Castro in a report carried by the Terra news portal website.

'We Were Like Zombies,' Say Survivors Of Rains That Killed Hundreds AP 2011

Residents said they had no food, water or medication, and many made the long walk for help to the center of Teresopolis, about 40 miles 65 kilometers north of Rio.

'We Were Like Zombies,' Say Survivors Of Rains That Killed Hundreds AP 2011