has worsened over the last few days with an increase in the number of fatalities Meanwhile authorities in the neighbouring state of Minas Gerais report flooding and heavy rain has affected at least 13 municipalities in the last week Further information provided by local municipalities in the state of Bahia, northern Brazil, shows that 24 people have lost their lives in the ongoing floods, an increase of 4 from number reported previously Fatalities have occurred in the municipalities of Amargosa (2) Authorities say 141 municipalities in total have now been affected (an increase from 116) with 132 declaring a state of emergency The state government reported on 29 December that 629,398 people have now been affected Areas of the state have seen heavy rainfall, floods and landslides since late November this year. Meanwhile civil defence authorities in the neighbouring state of Minas Gerais report flooding and heavy rain has affected 8,350 people and displaced 5,000 across 13 municipalities since 22 December 2021 The worst affected areas are Caraí (3,000 affected) Machacalis (3,314 displaced) and Salinas (1,000 displaced) One fatality was reported in Montes Claros visited affected areas of Salinas on 29 December 2021 Flooding affected parts of the state in early December when the governor declared an emergency situation in 31 cities and municipalities mostly in the Jequitinhonha and Mucuri valleys A total of 9,650 people were displaced and around 2,000 houses damaged Richard Davies is the founder of floodlist.com and reports on flooding news Cookies | Privacy | Contacts © Copyright 2025 FloodList Isaquias Queiroz refused to let tough childhood ruin Olympic dreamScalded by boiling water all by 10 years old - the Brazilian flatwater canoeist didn't let a tough start in life curtail his Olympic dream which continues at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championship where another title and obtaining a Paris 2024 quota spot for his NOC are the aims Picture by Photo by Phil Walter/Getty ImagesBy Jo Gunston"Do you know about Isaquias?" The breathless kids from the Ubaitaba canoe club in Brazil had run to Dilma Queiroz's house to speak to the mother of the man in question was halfway around the world competing in Duisburg Germany at the 2013 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships location of the current edition taking place from 23-27 August a decade later Three traumatic incidents in Isaquias' early years, one of which left him with the moniker, Sem Rim [without kidney], has left Dilma nervy when it comes to news of her son. Picture by Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty ImagesIsaquias Queiroz dos Santos of Brazil at Tokyo 2020 While his mother was out at work as a cleaner at a bus station, Isaquias spilled boiling water on himself after bumping into his young carer who was making him some tea. The prognosis wasn't good for the toddler, who burned much of his body. Doctors told his mum to keep the youngster in hospital otherwise he might not survive but after a month she took her three-year-old home where he recovered. Aged five, the little lad was in trouble again, this time kidnapped with a view to being offered up for adoption. While the family were frantically looking for the lost boy, a passer-by alerted Dilma to a kid sitting in a cocoa plantation, crying. Racing to the area, the pair were reunited after a brief but traumatic separation, and Isaquias was brought safely home. The same year, his father died. On reaching double digits, the now 10-year-old couldn't resist climbing a mango tree in order to see a dead snake that had been hung there. Inevitably, Isaquias fell, landing on a rock, damaging his kidney so badly it had to be removed. A period in intensive care had Dilma worried she would lose her son as well as her husband, but Isaquias not only survived but thrived, and was about to discover the sport that would change his life. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Isaquias Queiroz dos Santos (@isaquias_lx) Growing up in an area known as the city of canoes Ubaitaba's main transportation network is via the craft due to the Contas river splitting the city in two learned to row as part of a social initiative called Segundo Tempo (Second Time) to get young kids into sport and have a chance to play Dilma received constant advice to take Isaquias out of the sport because of potential limitations from having a missing kidney but felt that keeping him physically active was safe she no longer had her husband to help raise 10 children – six birth and four adopted Figueroa Conceição, a technical assistant to Jefferson Lacerda – a member of the first Brazilian canoeing delegation to go to an Olympics – was responsible for the social project in which 200 kids learned the sport, and was the one who discovered Isaquias. When Figueroa became aware of Isaquias' missing kidney – only after becoming curious after hearing his nickname – he adapted knowledge from observing an uncle with a similar problem to help him. "I knew he needed to drink a lot of water because of (the kidney issue) so I always asked him to come train with a two-litre bottle. It was all normal always, but he always feels pain. It hurts to this day. He thinks it was the surgery they did badly." Life curtailed Isaquias' progress, however, as despite being South American champion, Isaquias stopped training to take on a job delivering goods via wheelbarrow to the market in order to help his mum support the family. Recognising his talent Lacerda stepped in, recalling when he had himself received financial help from a bank manager during his career. He now wanted to pay it forward. "I believe in him a lot," said Lacerda before predicting: "If he continues training as he is, he will have an Olympic medal." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Isaquias Queiroz dos Santos (@isaquias_lx) Isaquias dismisses his early challenges as "just part of my history as a messy kid" those experiences made him the tough competitor he is today That tough competitor won three medals at his home Games at Rio 2016 – two silvers and a bronze in men's canoe sprint C1 1000m On claiming silver in the 1000m individual event Isaquias not only became the first Brazilian sprint paddler to win a medal at the Olympics but also the first Brazilian ever to clinch three medals at a single Games "I feel emotional to represent my country in Rio," said Isaquias prior to winning his trio of hardware "An Olympic medal represents everything for an athlete's career because it's a unique thing and not many athletes can win one It's the recognition for all the sacrifices that a high-level sport requires." two years on from the Rio Games due to brain cancer knocked the rower But remembering what Morlán told him after his Olympic medals in Brazil Isaquias reflected on his accomplishments at his debut Olympics "This time I really wanted a better result no doubt with his favourite quote at the forefront of his mind: "The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling Brazilian canoeist Isaquias Queiroz has an unusual nickname (Missing kidney) to go along with a remarkable story of determination His gold winning performance at the Pan American Games is just another example of it Isaquias Queiroz Dos Santos didn't just have to train hard to earn Brazil its first medal in an Olympic canoeing event on Tuesday - he had to survive who narrowly lost to Germany's Sebastian Brendel to win silver in the men's single 1000-meter canoe race escaped death three times before he turned 10 a pot of boiling water fell on him scalding large sections of his body Doctors told his mother to prepare for his death who grew up in poverty-stricken northeastern Brazil Queiroz was eventually returned to his mother unharmed but tragedy would strike again five years later Queiroz fell out of a tree and onto a rock while trying to get a better look at a snake hanging from a branch After being transferred to a larger town's hospital doctors found his kidney had nearly split in two That last hardship stayed with Queiroz for life but in the nickname "Sem Rim," which means "Missing Kidney." While doctors warned Queiroz to stay away from sports "I never thought if I would have a complicated life because of that," Queiroz tells SB Nation on Monday Queiroz is becoming a superstar in his homeland and especially in his home town of Ubaitaba where he seized an opportunity at age 11 to get involved in canoeing thanks to a government-funded project that he had something special," Queiroz's childhood coach Queiroz quickly rose through the ranks in the canoeing world Queiroz has reached the pinnacle of his sport - the Olympics "My race was very good," he said on Tuesday (via O Globo) but getting the silver medal at my first Olympics is very good." He'll go for more medals - he's still hoping for a gold - on Wednesday when he competes for a spot in the men's canoe single 200-meter sprint he'll pair up with Brazil's Erlon Silva for the men's canoe double 1,000-meter race "I feel emotional to represent my country in Rio," Queiroz told SB Nation especially for me since it's my first Olympic Games with the chance of winning three medals in my home country."