In 1982 and 1983 there occurred the most pronounced El Niño event ever recorded. In Northeast Brazil the total gross product of agriculture in 1983 was almost 16% below normal. In this drought-prone region 1983 was the fifth successive year of below-average rainfall, which contributed to the progressive worsening of living conditions of about 12 million nordestinos. Although the Brazilian government spent the equivalent of US $ 1778 m in emergency programs over 1979-1983, assisting about 2.5 million people with employment in public works, there was widespread hardship and extensive migration both from farms to towns in the region and out of the region itself.