Almost 70,000 evacuated due to heavy rains in Brazil – DW – 05/05/2024

Almost 70,000 people had to leave their homes and more than a million homes are without water supply in Rio Grande do Sul, the Brazilian state hit by a climate catastrophe, Civil Defense reported this Saturday (05/04/2024).

In its latest bulletin, the agency also said that the floods already affect half a million inhabitants of the southern region, where authorities are working around the clock to rescue people at risk.

The Government of Rio Grande do Sul stated that the floods that have already caused the death of 58 people in the country will continue for several days, despite the forecast of lower rainfall throughout the weekend.

The authorities expect that the flow of the Guaíba River, on whose bank the regional capital of Porto Alegre is located, will remain at very high levels for the next five to ten days, although the pace of its rise has decreased in recent hours with the fall in precipitation.

“The river will continue with this slower rise until it stabilizes shortly, but it will still remain with high water; it will not return to normal so soon,” declared the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, on social networks. .

The level of the Guaíba, whose waters have flooded the historic center of Porto Alegre, exceeded the five-meter barrier this morning, the first time this has happened since records began.

Civil Defense Report

Four of the six water treatment stations in this city of 1.3 million inhabitants were not working this Saturday at noon, so the Mayor’s Office advised the population to save water.

Furthermore, on the night of Friday, May 3, the Porto Alegre international airport was closed for an indefinite period, after water flooded the runways.

Despite the reduction in rain, Leite warned that the fog resulting from humidity could hinder rescue efforts and that the level of rivers in the state will remain high for “several days.”

The latest report from the Civil Defense of Rio Grande do Sul, released at noon, recorded one new death compared to the morning bulletin, when 57 deaths were reported.

In addition, there are 67 missing people, as well as 32,640 who have had to move to the homes of family and friends and another 9,581 who have moved to public shelters.

So far, more than 8,000 people have been rescued, some of whom had to climb onto the roofs of their homes to be evacuated by helicopter.

mg (afp, efe, ap)