The death toll rose on Saturday in Brazil where floods have devastated the state of Rio Grande do Sul for several days, leaving at least 56 dead and 67 missing in this southern region of the country. The regional capital Porto Alegre is heavily affected.
Roads have been cut by the floods and communications are disrupted in this state where it is expected to rain at least until Sunday. The authorities gave orders to evacuate certain neighborhoods in the metropolis of Porto Alegre.
The task of rescuers is formidable, with entire towns practically cut off from the world, made inaccessible by floods. Residential areas drowned as far as the eye can see, roads destroyed or bridges swept away by the current, not to mention the failure of dams which risk further aggravating the situation: the human and material damage is considerable.
In Porto Alegre, the regional capital with some 1.5 million inhabitants, the disaster will be “unprecedented”, warned Governor Eduardo Leite. 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.
“Worst disaster”
According to the governor, 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. In Capela de Santana, north of Porto Alegre, Raul Metzel says his neighbors had to abandon their livestock.
More than 250 localities have been hit for several days by devastating storms and thunderstorms. The latest count by 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 military personnel, to reinforce relief operations and food distribution.
“Climate crisis”
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. According to experts, these extreme weather phenomena have increased in frequency and intensity with global warming.
Brazil experienced a historic drought last year in the north of the country and the number of forest fires reached a record from January to April, with more than 17,000 outbreaks recorded across the country, more than half in the Amazon.
“Rain in the south, fire in the north (…). These two tragedies bear the marks of the climate crisis. The government must take urgent measures to prevent the situation from getting even worse,” alerted the collective of NGOs Climate Observatory in a press release.
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