Brazil floods in pictures

A Teresopolis town hall employee shows photos of flood victims yet to be identified. It is a trying but necessary task since it is illegal to bury an unidentified corpse. (Photo: Valérie Defert)

Families wait in front of an improvised morgue for news of missing loved ones. (Photo: Valérie Defert)

Friends, families or those simply curious scan a list of victims for a familiar name. (Photo: Valérie Defert)

Refrigerator trucks have been requisitioned by the Teresopolis town hall to ensure the corpses are properly preserved for all of the victims to be identified. (Photo: Valérie Defert)

More than 100 bodies have been delivered to this improvised morgue. (Photo: Valérie Defert)

Some areas are still unreachable following this week’s deadly mudslides. Medical authorities believe that the death toll will continue to mount. (Photo: Valérie Defert)

Once a body is visually identified by family, it is immediately buried. (Photo: Valérie Defert)

There are not enough coffins or burial personnel to inter the 200 victims. (Photo: Valérie Defert)

A few kilometres from downtown Teresopolis, the residential Posse neighbourhood lies devastated. (Photo: Valérie Defert)

The mudslides caused by torrential rains swept up everything in their paths. In a few minutes, the river burst its banks. (Photo: Valérie Defert)

Entire neighbourhoods are submerged. (Photo: Valérie Defert)

The waters rise 1.5 metres (nearly 5 feet). Luiz and his family escape by taking refuge on the roof of their house. (Photo: Valérie Defert)

Luiz’s house is devastated. Almost everything was destroyed and because buying household insurance is not a common practice in Brazil, Luiz will now have to continue paying off furniture he no longer has. (Photo: Valérie Defert)

Brazil’s President Dilma Roussef has freed up more than 350 million euros (469 million dollars) for reconstruction. However, Luiz doesn’t expect to receive any government aide. In any case, he no longer wants to live here. (Photo: Valérie Defert)

Nearly 2,000 people are now homeless. Many fear predictions of fresh rainfall over the weekend. (Photo: Valérie Defert)

The destruction is considerable. Reconstruction efforts will be long and difficult. (Photo: Valérie Defert)

(Photo: Valérie Defert)

The mudslide has covered everything, making it difficult to reach affected areas. (Photo: Valérie Defert)

In Teresopolis turnout is high: more than 800 civil servants and volunteers have been mobilised. (Photo: Valérie Defert)

For these rescuers, the day has come to an end. But they know that tomorrow and in the months to come, they will have to work hard to reconstruct the town. (Photo: Valérie Defert)