The death toll rose to 56 in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil, with tens of thousands displaced.
Floods and landslides caused by torrential rain continue to sweep across southern Brazil, killing at least 56 people and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes, the government said.
In addition to increasing the death toll on Saturday, the country’s civil defense agency said rising water levels in the state of Rio Grande do Sul were overwhelming dams and threatening the metropolis of Porto Alegre.
Triggered by storms that began on Monday, the flooding is only expected to worsen, local authorities said, as rescuers searched the ruins of destroyed homes, bridges and roads for missing people.
“Forget everything you saw, it will be much worse in the metropolitan region,” said Governor Eduardo Leite on Friday, as the state’s streets were submerged.
‘Nothing could be saved’
The floods, the worst in Brazil in 80 years, have so far affected at least 265 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul, according to the Civil Defense of the southernmost state.
It injured at least 74 people, displaced more than 24,000 and left 350,000 with some type of material damage.
“Nothing could be saved,” said Claudio Almiro, who lost his home and belongings in the floods.
“Many people even lost their lives. I raise my hand to the sky and thank God that I’m alive.”
Residents of several cities and towns were completely cut off from the world, without electricity or telephone access, while others were forced to abandon their livestock.
“It is not known if the water will continue to rise or what will happen to the animals, they could drown soon,” said Raul Metzel, from Capela de Santana, north of the state capital.
Five days later, while the rains show no signs of abating, four dams in the state are at risk of breaking, creating the risk of a new “emergency situation”, according to Civil Defense authorities.
Brazil’s federal government sent planes, boats and more than 600 soldiers to help clear roads, distribute food, water and mattresses, and set up shelters, while local volunteers also helped with search efforts.
‘Disastrous cocktail’
Climatologist Francisco Eliseu Aquino said the devastating storms were the result of a “disastrous cocktail” of global warming and the El Niño climate phenomenon.
South America’s largest country has recently experienced a series of extreme weather events, including a cyclone in September that killed at least 31 people.
Aquino said the region’s specific geography means it is often confronted by the effects of colliding tropical and polar air masses – but these events have “intensified due to climate change”.
And when they coincide with El Niño, a periodic warming of waters in the tropical Pacific, the atmosphere becomes more unstable, he said.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
