More flood warnings as new rains hit Brazil’s south
Porto alegre (Brazil): New rains in waterlogged southern Brazil are expected to be heaviest until today, authorities have warned, bringing fresh misery to victims of flooding that has killed 136 people so far.
State authorities warned late Saturday of the risk of further rising waters and landslides.
“We are still experiencing an emergency situation,” Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite said in a video on Instagram.
Heavy rains last week caused rivers in the agricultural state to overflow, leaving 806 injured and 125 missing in addition to those killed, the civil defence agency said.
“Many people ... are traumatised. We’ve seen how scared people are,” said Enio Posti, a firefighter in Porto Alegre, capital of stricken Rio Grande do Sul state.
Of the more than two million people affected by the flooding, more than 537,000 have been forced from their homes with 81,000 in shelters.
More than 92,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by the floods, according to the National Confederation of Municipalities.
UN experts and the Brazilian government blame climate change and the El Nino weather phenomenon for the inundation.
US President Joe Biden said in a statement that he was “saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by the flooding”, adding that Washington was “working to provide necessary assistance” in coordination with Brazilian authorities.