Experts attribute the flood, which has affected over two million people, to climate change that has been made worse by the El Nino weather phenomena.
World Weahter Updates : River levels increased once more. On Sunday, torrential rains flooded parts of southern Brazil, displacing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes and killing 145.
After two weeks of torrential rains that caused rivers to overflow, engulfing towns and portions of the regional capital, residents of Rio Grande do Sul were bracing themselves for even more suffering from the incoming precipitation.
Experts attribute the flood, which has affected over two million people, to climate change that has been made worse by the El Nino weather phenomena.
“Practically all the major rivers in the state are tending to rise,” according to a statement released by state officials on Sunday.
As to the National Center for Monitoring and Warning for Natural Disasters (Cemaden), the likelihood of more floods is “very high” in the majority of the state’s regions.
In an update released on Sunday night, civil defense officials stated that 619,000 individuals had been evicted from their houses and 132 persons had been reported missing.
With over 619,000 people forced to flee their homes and about 130 people still missing, rescue efforts are still ongoing as this new threat materializes.
Sofas and other personal items were floating in murky waters in the state capital Porto Alegre’s flooded historic district.
In the village of Sao Leopoldo, to the north, a row of cars that had been parked beside the road were partially buried. People rowed boats down flooded streets in other places.
36-year-old electrician Claudio da Silva described his home as “broken” when he went to see how things were in his neighborhood.
“Water was halfway up the second floor of my brother-in-law’s home next door. It’s descended a little now, allowing access to the second story, though it’s disorganized. Numerous dead animals are present. It’s quite depressing.
“What will happen if the rain doesn’t stop falling? The river may rise in level, bringing the water back into the residential areas.”
The Guaiba estuary, which borders the state capital Porto Alegre, saw its lowest level since May 3 on Saturday.
But more rain is forecast to swell the body of water once more, and levels are predicted to soar past five meters.
At three meters, its banks overflow.
On May 5 and 6, the Guaiba had reached historic levels of 5.3 meters.
The water levels in other rivers in the area that were already overflowing also continued to climb.
Notably, the Taquari River flooding has alerted the little town of Mucum, which was devastated by a powerful typhoon in September of last year, killing over forty people.
Paula Mascarenhas, the mayor of Pelotas, a municipality south of Porto Alegre, issued an Instagram warning that the town “is facing a worsening situation” that raises the likelihood of flooding and urges the evacuation of areas that are at risk.
Additionally, portions of the 1.4 million-person city of Porto Alegre are still under water.
The National Institute of Meteorology predicts that there will be more than 100 mm of rain each day in certain places throughout the next few hours.
There is a “high risk of major flooding and river overflows, as well as significant landslides” in the state’s northeast.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva showed support for those impacted, almost 80,000 of whom are presently residing in shelters, in a Mother’s Day video that was released on X.
He said, “You are not alone.”
This week, the federal government committed to providing almost $10 billion for Rio Grande do Sul rehabilitation.
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