Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul is facing heavy rain and flooding that have resulted in unprecedented devastation. The southern state has been virtually cut off from the rest of the region as roads and highways were flooded, while the main airport in Porto Alegre was closed since it was overpowered as well. Officials have said this was the “worst natural calamity” to hit the region.
Statistics
The floods that began last week have led to the deaths of at least 100 people as of Thursday, while more than 163000 others have had to leave their homes and seek shelter elsewhere. More than 270 people have been injured.
The civil defence authority in the region said 128 people remained missing and urged people living close to the Patos lagoon (south of Porto Alegre) to leave their homes immediately as a result of the increasing floodwaters.
Days of violent rain since last month have led to rivers overflowing, resulting in the devastating floods that have affected around 1.4 million inhabitants of the state.
Currently, around 80 per cent of the population in Porto Alegre, the capital, do not have access to running water after five of the six water treatment plants stopped working, according to the BBC.
Human Impact
Speaking to the BBC, a resident said that this was the first time that people living in Porto Alegre have “experienced anything like it.”
“There are thousands of people who lost their houses. Now we don’t have water anywhere. My mother-in-law is 90 years old and she had to be carried by the rescuers. It’s unbelievable what is going on here,” she said.
Action and Advisories
The mayor has rationed drinking water and tankers have been deployed to deliver water to the residents.
Nossas equipes estão trabalhando muito para normalizar o serviço de abastecimento. Use a água com muita consciência! https://t.co/Xl3kkqVC4J
— Sebastião Melo (@SebastiaoMelo) May 8, 2024
Meanwhile, Porto Alegre city hall warned civilian rescuers on Wednesday to halt their operations due to the forecast for additional rain, lightning storms and winds exceeding 80 km per hour.
Alerta especial a quem realiza resgate com embarcações! ▶️ https://t.co/twaLspPDKl
— Sebastião Melo (@SebastiaoMelo) May 8, 2024
Army troopers used amphibious armoured cars to rescue people from flooding in Canoas, just north of the city, where the waters have reached a depth of around 10 feet and the streets can only be navigated by boats.
Brazil’s centre for natural disasters warned that the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul was still under “high risk” of more flooding, with rainfall expected to restart in the coming days.
In a statement, weather forecaster MetSul said the region could witness “very large” floods “of serious proportions.”
Impact Around Brazil
Meanwhile, in the neighbouring state of Uruguay, storms and flooding have closed highways and left nearly 800 people displaced and over 3000 people without power, according to the government.
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