With water levels continuing to rise and a toll of at least 37 dead and 74 missing, the situation is becoming increasingly critical in southern Brazil, where the regional capital Porto Alegre was hit in turn today.
The work of rescuers is titanic, with entire cities virtually cut off from the world, rendered inaccessible by the floods that have for days ravaged the state of Rio Grande do Sul, where it is expected to rain at least until Sunday.
Inhabited areas have been drowned as far as the eye can see, roads destroyed, bridges swept away by the current, not to mention the dam breaks that risk further worsening the situation: human losses and property damage are high and concentrated mainly in the central region of this state bordering Argentina and Uruguay.
In Porto Alegre, the regional capital with nearly 1.5 million inhabitants, the disaster is “unprecedented”, warned Governor Eduardo Leite.
Today, streets in the historic center of the city were filled with water due to the great flooding of the Guaiba, an iconic river of southern Brazil.
The authorities estimate that the level of the Guaiba may reach 5 meters within the next hours. The historical record, dating back to 1941, is 4.71 meters.
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 a state of emergency, at risk of breaking,” local authorities warned.
Amid the devastation, there are some comforting images, such as the rescue of four pregnant women in the town of Agudo, who were airlifted to a hospital.
The toll, already high, remains very temporary, with 37 dead, 74 missing and 74 injured.
More than 250 locations have been affected for several days by devastating storms.
The latest report by the authorities speaks of some 351,000 affected. In total, 23,600 people were forced to leave their homes.
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