Governor Eduardo Leite warns residents of Canela and Gramado to leave their homes: ‘Express guidance’

Amidst the heavy rains hitting Rio Grande do Sul, governor Eduardo Leite (PSDB) issued, this Thursday afternoon, a evacuation alert for cities in the Serra Gaucha. Faced with the possibility of flooding of the Caí River in the coming hours, authorities asked residents of the municipalities of São Francisco de Paula, Canela, Gramado, Nova Petrópolis, Vale Real and Feliz to leave their homes.

• Dam in Caxias do Sul (RS) is at risk of rupture; city ​​hall issues warning and evacuates area
• Tragedy: Government of Rio Grande do Sul declares state of public calamity

The alert, published on the governor’s social media, was announced as “express guidance”. Eduardo Leite (PSDB) had already declared a state of public calamity, on Wednesday night, due to the more than 100 municipalities impacted by the storm in the state. Decree was published in the Official Gazette and will remain in force for 180 days. In total, 13 people died and at least 21 are missing.

Measure highlights the severity of the impacts of rain, floods, hail, floods, floods and windstorms in the State, being categorized as Level III disasters, classified by substantial damage and losses.

More evacuation alerts

The Autonomous Municipal Water and Sewage Service (Samae) of Caxias do Sul, in Rio Grande do Sul, issued a warning late this Thursday morning about the risk of rupture of the Dal Bó Dam. Given the water level in the reservoir, the warning calls for the evacuation of the region, with more risks of flooding in the neighborhoods of Fátima and Santa Catarina. According to information on Samae’s social media, there are 10 to 15 centimeters left before the dam overflows.

The company claims to maintain control over water escaping through the spillway, but if the dam’s maximum capacity is reached, houses and nearby neighborhoods will suffer from possible flooding. The region is being evacuated by municipal security agencies.

However, the team states that, if rain levels remain as heavy as they have been in the last few hours, reaching the full capacity of the reservoir and the floodgate, there is a risk of water overflowing over the dam. Scenario that could cause the structure to collapse.

President Lula arrives in RS

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had to cancel the flight over Santa Maria (RS), scheduled for this Thursday, due to bad weather. The city is the one with the highest number of deaths to date due to the storms that have hit the state since the beginning of the week. Lula is meeting with the state governor, Eduardo Leite.

Earlier, Leite stated that there is a need for “articulation for the most absolute perfect harmony” between the Armed Forces and the state to rescue people, and that this is not the time for “simply overflights”.

Rains in Rio Grande do Sul: government declares state of public calamity

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Flooding flooded the Santa Maria region, in Rio Grande do Sul — Photo: Brazilian Air Force/Reproduction 2 of 17
People watch a flooded street after heavy rain in Encantado, Rio Grande do Sul. At least ten people died and 21 are missing due to heavy rain in the state. — Photo: Gustavo Ghisleni/AFP Skip
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Electricity poles and trees felled by the wind and heavy rain in the streets of Sinimbu, in the Vale do Rio Pardo region, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. — Photo: Anselmo Cunha/AFP 4 of 17
Chairs amid mud and debris inside a house partially destroyed by heavy rains in Sinimbu, in the Vale do Rio Pardo region, Rio Grande do Sul — Photo: Anselmo Cunha / AFP Skip X of 17
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Supermarket affected by heavy rains in Sinimbu, in the Vale do Rio Pardo region, in Rio Grande do Sul – Anselmo Cunha/AFP 6 of 17
Supermarket affected by heavy rains in Sinimbu, in the Vale do Rio Pardo region, in Rio Grande do Sul – Anselmo Cunha/AFP Skip X of 17
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Rain hits the municipality of Encantado; see before and after — Photo: Reproduction 8 of 17
Aerial view shows flooded area of ​​Capela de Santana, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil — Photo: CARLOS FABAL / AFP Skip
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The forts displaced approximately 1,400 people in more than 100 municipalities across the state of Rio Grande do Sul, most of whom, according to civil defense authorities, were transferred to shelters. – Photo: Anselmo Cunha/AFP 10 of 17
The forts displaced approximately 1,400 people in more than 100 municipalities across the state of Rio Grande do Sul, most of whom, according to civil defense authorities, were transferred to shelters. – Photo: Anselmo Cunha/AFP Pular X de 17
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Heavy rains in Rio Grande do Sul: at least ten people died and 21 are missing. — Photo: Gustavo Ghisleni / AFP 12 of 17
An aerial view shows flooded areas in the city of Encantado, Rio Grande do Sul — Photo: Gustavo Ghisleni / AFP Skip
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At least ten people died and 21 are missing due to heavy rains in the state.- Photo: Gustavo Ghisleni/AFP 14 of 17
Bridge in Santa Maria (RS) before and after the strong storms — Photo: Photo: Reproduction Skip
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The forts displaced approximately 1,400 people in more than 100 municipalities across the state of Rio Grande do Sul, most of whom, according to civil defense authorities, were transferred to shelters. – Photo: Anselmo Cunha/AFP 16 of 17
Rains in Rio Grande do Sul – Donations of food and clothing are collected — Photo: João Alves/PMSM Skip
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Rains in Rio Grande do Sul – Donations of food and clothing are collected — Photo: João Alves/PMSM

More than 100 municipalities were impacted by the storm in the state.

The state Civil Defense states that there are 104 municipalities affected by the rains in RS. There are 1,145 displaced people in shelters and 1,431 homeless people across the state. The agency estimates that 19,110 people have been directly affected by the rains so far.

What is the weather forecast for Rio Grande do Sul?

Meteorologists predict an even more dramatic and “extreme serious” situation in Rio Grande do Sul due to the rain until the weekend, according to the MetSul portal.

“The most recent rainfall projections from numerical models, updated at the beginning of this Wednesday, suggest a dramatic scenario for Rio Grande do Sul with extremely high accumulations of precipitation in the regions most punished by floods, which will cause a situation of major disaster in the state of Rio Grande do Sul”, analyzes specialist Estael Sias, from MetSul.

“The accumulated rainfall in the last five days is between 300mm and 500mm in several municipalities in the Center and Northeast of Rio Grande do Sul, regions where global and high-resolution weather forecast models indicate another 150mm to 300mm in the rest of this week and on the weekend. Therefore, we are emphasizing that the already serious situation must become an extremely serious situation”, he adds.

Rains in Rio Grande do Sul: