Floods caused by heavy rains in southern Brazil have left at least 56 dead and 67 missing, according to a new report from Brazilian civil defense on Saturday May 4. Roads have been cut by the floods and communications are disrupted in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, whose capital Porto Alegre is seriously affected, and where the authorities have given orders to evacuate certain neighborhoods.
Residential areas drowned as far as the eye can see, roads destroyed or bridges swept away by the current, not to mention the ruptures of dams which risk further aggravating the situation: the human and material damage is considerable and especially concentrated in the central region of this Border state of Argentina and Uruguay.
On Friday, streets in the historic center of the city were in turn invaded by water due to the exceptional flood of the Guaiba, an emblematic river of southern Brazil, noted Agence France-Presse. Authorities estimate that the level of the Guaiba could reach 5 meters in the coming hours. The historical record, dating from 1941, is 4.71 meters.
“Worst climate disaster in its history”
In Porto Alegre, the regional capital with some 1.5 million inhabitants, the disaster will be “unprecedented,” warned Governor Eduardo Leite. According to him, the state of Rio Grande do Sul is experiencing the “worst climate disaster in its history”. At least four dams “are in an emergency situation, with a risk of rupture,” local authorities warned.
More than 250 localities have been hit for several days by devastating storms and thunderstorms. The latest report from the authorities lists some 351,000 victims. In total, 23,600 people had to leave their homes.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited the region on Thursday, promising that it would not lack human or material “resources” in the face of this tragedy. The federal government has pledged to send helicopters and boats, as well as more than 600 soldiers, to bolster relief operations and food distribution.
Rains of “extreme severity”
The weather forecast is worrying, with rains of “extreme severity” expected to persist until Sunday, according to civil defense, which also warned of the risk of another river, the Uruguay River, overflowing.
Hundreds of thousands of people were left without electricity. Water supply is also compromised in many localities, as is access to the Internet or mobile phone signal.
To the north of Rio Grande do Sul, the neighboring state of Santa Catarina is now also hit by the rains. Rio Grande do Sul has already been hit several times by deadly bad weather, notably in September, when 31 people died after the passage of a devastating cyclone.
