RIO LARGO, Brazil, (Reuters) – Rescuers in  northeastern Brazil rushed to get food and water to stranded  residents and searched for missing people yesterday after  raging floods killed at least 44 people and destroyed towns.

Days of heavy rain in the states of Alagoas and Pernambuco  caused rivers to break their banks and burst dams, flooding  towns and leaving more than 40,000 people homeless, state  emergency officials said.

Troops and state rescuers used helicopters and boats to  reach towns cut off by the floods and deliver thousands of  baskets of food and other supplies sent by the federal  government. The delivery of aid was hampered by the destruction  of many railway tracks and roads.

Alagoas state officials said 600 people were reported  missing but added the number was based on unverified accounts  by local communities and may be lower.

Rio Largo, one of the worst affected towns in Alagoas, was  nearly wiped off the map after a dam broke and raging water  destroyed everything in its way.

A twisted railway, ruins and mud were all that was left of  the poor town, where residents searched for survivors.

“It came with so much force, washing away houses in the  town. The town of Rio Largo is pretty much finished,” said  resident Nelson Rodrigues de Franca.

Antonio da Silva said he was lucky to escape after his  riverside house was completely destroyed.

“I am here, thank God. All this here we can figure out  later. I’m just happy I got out alive,” he said.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva held an emergency  meeting on Tuesday and his government allocated 100 million  reais ($56 million) for relief efforts and 20,000 baskets of  basic food supplies for the two states, as well as mattresses  and blankets for the thousands of homeless.

Some parts of the northeast reported more than 40 cm (13  inches) of rainfall over the past four days and more is  forecast in the coming days, raising fears of further damage.