“It is already the worst climate disaster in our state, and we need to avoid loss of life at this time,” said Eduardo Leite, governor of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil, where devastating floods have left more than 100 dead.
—
The death toll from the devastating floods that have submerged entire cities and towns in southern Brazil has risen to 107 on Thursday, as authorities fear water levels will rise further as more torrential rain is forecast in the region over the weekend.
Nearly 1.5 million people have been affected by the deadly floods that wreaked havoc across 428 municipalities in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, displacing more than 165,000 as of Thursday evening. Local authorities said the floods were the worst natural calamity ever to hit the state, home to 11 million people.
Much of the state has been hit by persistent, torrential rainfall since April 27, according to the national meteorology institute INMET. In some regions, rainfall volumes have exceeded 300 mm in less than a week. The country’s civil defense has warned people displaced by the floods not to return to their homes as more intense rain – up to 100mm (nearly 4 inches) in some areas – is forecast in the state between Friday and Sunday.
“It is important to highlight that the predicted volumes of rain may cause new disruptions in areas already affected previously,” a statement from INMET read.
The city of Porto Alegre has been completely cut off by the deadly floods. Its 1.3 million residents have been living without power after energy companies cut off supplies for safety reasons, and an estimated 80% lack access to drinking water, as five of the city’s six water treatment plants ceased working.
President Ignazio Lula da Silva made two strips to the state with top cabinet members and key congressional leaders to assess the rain’s impacts and work with the governor and mayors on essential aid measures and reconstruction. Speaking at a press conference this week, Lula also said the government is working on a plan to prevent what he called “climate accidents.”
“We need to stop chasing misfortune. We need to anticipate what could happen,” he said.
“In addition to rescue and relief operations, meetings in the ‘situation room’ are focused on the allocation of emergency funds and the development of strategies to streamline the centralization of donations from individual states to the respective fire department within each Brazilian state,” the government said in a statement.
On Thursday, the Federal Government announced a package of 50.9 billion reais (US$9.9 billion) to assist families, rural workers, beneficiaries of social programs, companies and municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul, as a report by the National Confederation of Municipalities estimated damages at 4.6 billion reais (US$930 million) in nearly 80% of the state’s municipalities.
“What you saw announce here were the first credit measures. That doesn’t end here,” said Lula. “I have told the ministers that we have to prepare ourselves, because we will have the size of the greatness of the problems when the water goes down and when the rivers return to normal.”
Earlier this week, Lula also signed a decree exempting emergency spending from this year’s fiscal rules and two additional instalments of unemployment Insurance for people affected by the disaster.
While Brazil and neighbouring countries are no strangers to major rainfall, last week’s storms were significantly stronger and devastating, with experts attributing the heightened rainfall to a combination of global warming and the El Niño weather pattern, a phenomenon associated with the warming of waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean. According to the Brazilian Reporter, Rio Grande do Sul authorities issued a total of 953 emergency or calamity decrees since 2013, with around 28% of them issued last year alone.
Earlier this week, state governor Eduardo Leite warned of further heavy rain and a significant drop in temperatures. “It is already the worst climate disaster in our state, and we need to avoid loss of life at this time,” he said as reported by the Financial Times.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), climate change is intensifying the water cycle, leading to more intense rainfall and associated flooding.
Featured image: Lucas Leffa/Governo do Brazil/X
This story is funded by readers like you
Our non-profit newsroom provides climate coverage free of charge and advertising. Your one-off or monthly donations play a crucial role in supporting our operations, expanding our reach, and maintaining our editorial independence.
About EO | Mission Statement | Impact & Reach | Write for us
