The death toll from devastating floods that have ravaged southern Brazil for several days reached 100 on Wednesday, the government said, as the search continues for dozens of people who are still missing.
Nearly 400 municipalities were hit by the worst natural calamity ever experienced in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, with hundreds of people injured and 160,000 more people forced to flee their homes.
Many do not have access to clean water or electricity, or even the means to call for help, and in many places the telephone and the network are down.
On Tuesday, the state’s governor, Eduardo Leite, warned that the death toll is likely to rise as “the emergency continues to unfold” in the state capital, Porto Alegre, and other towns and villages. back to the spaces affected by possible landslides and health risks.
“Contaminated water can transmit diseases,” Civil Defense spokeswoman Sabrina Ribas warned Wednesday.
About 15,000 soldiers, firefighters, police officers and volunteers were on the job across the state, most aboard boats and even jet skis, rescuing other trapped people and transporting aid.
Many others are reluctant to leave their homes to seek refuge in shelters, while deserted homes have been looted.
The National Confederation of Municipalities said about 100,000 homes had been destroyed or destroyed by unprecedented rains and flooding in the state, with losses estimated at more than $900 million.
Porto Alegre is home to around 1. 4 million people, and the largest metropolitan area has more than twice as many.
The Guaíba River, which runs through Porto Alegre, has reached historic levels and five dams are at risk of breaking.
There were queues outside taps and public wells as the government warned that the most urgent need for people was stranded on impassable roads, collapsed bridges and flooded houses without water.
Only two of Porto Alegre’s six wastewater treatment plants were operating, the mayor’s office said Tuesday, and hospitals and shelters were being provided via tanker trucks.
The helicopters delivered water and food to communities most in need, while work continued to repair road access.
The Brazilian army was due to send its ship “Atlantic”, the largest in Latin America, to Rio Grande do Sul on Wednesday with two cellular water treatment plants.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva promised that “there will be no lack of resources to satisfy the wishes of Rio Grande do Sul. “
In Gasometro, a Porto Alegre community popular with tourists, the water continued Wednesday, complicating rescue efforts.
“You can cross on foot or by boat. There is no other way,” Luan Pas, a 30-year-old resident, told AFP next to a street transformed into a stagnant and smelly river.
The port of Porto Alegre has been suspended and its airport closed indefinitely.
The air force said the military base on the outskirts of the city would receive announcements of flights carrying aid and passengers.
In a dry, unusual spot in Porto Alegre’s historic center, dozens of people gathered around a generator rented from a pharmacy to charge their cellphones.
“It’s a parallel universe,” said one of them, teacher Daniela da Silva, 30.
The Inmet meteorological institute warned of storms with heavy rain and winds in the south of the state and showers over the weekend in the Porto Alegre region.
The World Meteorological Organization said in a report Wednesday that Latin America and the Caribbean recorded its record year in 2023, “a year of record climate risks” for the region due to climate change and the El Niño weather phenomenon.
Many cities in Brazil, he says, have been hit by “exceptional rainfall” that causes large displacements and turmoil.
Due to climate change, excessive or infrequent occasions “are more common and excessive,” Jose Marengo, coordinator of studies at Brazil’s National Center for Natural Disaster Monitoring (Cemaden), told AFP.
According to the weather service MetSul, the floods “changed the map of the metropolitan area” of Porto Alegre.