2024-05-05 12:12:07
As water levels continued to rise due to floods and at least 37 people were killed and 74 people were missing, the situation became more dangerous on Friday in southern Brazil.
The mission of rescuers is considered arduous, as entire cities have become practically isolated from the world and inaccessible due to floods that have been sweeping the state of Rio Grande do Sul for days, where rain is expected to fall until Sunday at the very least.
Entire residential areas were submerged, while roads were destroyed and bridges were washed away due to the catastrophic floods. The human and material damage is great and is concentrated especially in the central region of this border state with Argentina and Uruguay.
Maria Luisa (51 years old), who lives in São Sebastião do Cai, one of the areas most affected by the floods, told AFP: “This is my home and I feel severe pain. “My heart is in pain.”
In Porto Alegre, the regional capital with a population of about 1.5 million people, the disaster will be “unprecedented,” said Governor Eduardo Leite.
On Friday, streets in the historic center of the city were flooded due to the exceptional flooding of the Guayba River, according to observations by Agence France-Presse.
Authorities estimate that Guayba’s level may reach 5 meters in the coming hours, while the historical record dating back to 1941 was 4.71 metres.
According to the governor, the state of Rio Grande do Sul is experiencing “the worst climate disaster in its history.”
Local authorities warned that at least four dams were experiencing an “emergency situation, with a risk that they would explode.”
In Capilla de Santana, north of Porto Alegre, Raul Metzl said his neighbors had to abandon their livestock. “They don’t know if the water will continue to rise or what will happen to the animals,” he added. “It may sink soon.”
Four pregnant women were rescued in the Agudo area and taken by helicopter to a hospital.
A few days ago, more than 250 areas witnessed devastating thunder and storms.
According to the latest census conducted by the authorities, about 351,000 people were affected. A total of 23,600 people were forced 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” to confront the tragedy.
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2024-05-05 12:12:07