The rains return to Brazil and prolong the flood disaster: 126 dead

(Read here: On video: the heroic acts of aid in the midst of the floods that affect southern Brazil)

The torrential rains that fell since the end of April caused river flooding in the southern Brazilian state and affected almost two million people, with a balance of 126 dead and 756 injuredreported Civil Defense.

With 141 people still missing, Authorities fear the death toll will continue to rise as the region braces for “heavy” rainfall over the weekend.

The number of people forced to leave their homes due to the catastrophe – which experts and the Brazilian government link to climate change and the El Niño phenomenon – almost doubled in the last 24 hours.

According to the latest Civil Defense balance, 411,000 people left their homes, of which more than 71,000 are in shelter centers. In some of them, the authorities are trying to establish order after reports of theft and violence.

The authorities fear what may happen in the coming days, after the rains returned on Friday morning to the capital Porto Alegre and other already affected areas of the state, such as the north and the valleys.

For the weekend, the region expects “strong and persistent” rainfall, which will extend even into the beginning of next week, according to the National Institute of Meteorology.

(Also: Floods in Brazil: entire cities that will have to be removed and other consequences of the tragedy)

Meteorologist Cátia Valente warned about the risk of new landslides on the northern coast and the ‘Gaúcha’ mountain range: “That is our biggest concern at the moment.”

Several rivers, such as the Uruguay, Jacuí and Guaíba, in addition to the Laguna de los Patos, were overflowing, the state government reported.

Meanwhile, with the collaboration of thousands of federal and other state troops, the authorities rushed to distribute tons of donations, with groceries, mattresses and others, from all over the country.

Packaged drinking water continued to be a very scarce commodity in Porto Alegre, where shelters, hospitals, buildings and hotels are supplied with tanker trucks in constant circulation, AFP noted.

The water damage is estimated to be gigantic.

The governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, estimated that in some devastated cities “It will be necessary to move entire areas” to areas that will have to be urbanized, which will have a “multi-million dollar” cost.

The day before, he had estimated the amount of recovery and construction at 19 billion reais (3.7 billion dollars).

Beyond the human tragedy, the violence of the waters damaged or destroyed more than 85,000 homes and its devastating effects are visible for the economy of Rio Grande do Sul, an agricultural and livestock state with the fifth GDP among Brazilian states.

In the rice-growing regions surrounding Porto Alegre, AFP journalists confirmed that the water level keeps crops inaccessible. Although in some rice plantations – which require waterlogging – small plants are beginning to be seen, others are completely under water.

Rice is one of the main productions of Rio Grande do Sul and a traditional food for Brazilians.

“Rice crops with up to two meters of water were lost,” Daniel Dalbosco, who has 300 hectares of fields in Eldorado do Sul, told AFP.
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(Keep reading: Floods in Brazil: this is how they rescued ‘Caramelo’, the horse that ended up on the roof of a house)

The disaster in Rio Grande do Sul is the product of the “double blow” of climate change and the El Niño weather phenomenon, said Clare Nullis, spokesperson for the UN weather agency WMO.

“Even when El Niño fades, the long-term effects of climate change are with us. Every increase of a fraction of a degree in temperature means our climate will become more extreme,” Nullis told reporters in Geneva.

“When we are at war with nature (…) Nature strikes back and unfortunately it hit Brazil,” Nullis said, predicting that extreme flooding, droughts and intense heat waves will continue.

Singer Anitta blamed Brazilian legislators to form “a movement” in Congress “to end nature protection policies,” with laws such as making the use of fertilizers more flexible, he said online.

“It is time to defend our country,” he claimed.