El Niño-related record rainfall has caused severe floods in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, resulting in increased deaths, infrastructure damage, and economic losses, according to a World Meteorological Organization’s post on the social media platform X.
The severe rains that began last week have caused rivers to flood, engulfing entire villages and wrecking highways and bridges.
Rain is expected to stop on Thursday but persist throughout the weekend.
Causes Of The Floods:
Climate experts attributed the extreme rainfall in Rio Grande do Sul to a confluence of a heatwave caused by this year’s El Niño, which warms the waters of the Pacific and brings rain to southern Brazil; a weaker cold front with rain and gales from the Antarctic; and unusual warmth in the Atlantic, which raises humidity.
Global warming exacerbates these processes and amplifies the effects of such systems, making weather unpredictable, according to Marcelo Schneider, a researcher at the National Meteorology Institute.
Ramifications Of The Floods:
The downtown streets of Porto Alegre, a metropolis of 1.3 million people, were drowned as the Guaiba River overflowed its banks with record water levels.
Residents in Porto Alegre faced empty grocery shelves and closed petrol stations, as shops rationed mineral water sales. The city used trucks to deliver water to hospitals and shelters.
The floods have also disrupted water and electrical services, affecting nearly 1.4 million people in total, according to Civil Defence.
Almost half a million people were left without power in Porto Alegre and other cities after electrical firms shut off supply for security reasons in flooded neighborhoods. The National Grid Operator ONS reported that five hydropower dams and transmission lines had been shut down owing to the severe rains.
The city’s airport, with its apron submerged, has suspended all flights since Friday.
According to a senior government official, fuel shortages were reported after state-owned oil company Petrobras claimed it was having problems providing fuel from its refinery in badly flooded Canoas, near metropolitan Porto Alegre.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stated on a government television programme that the full scope of the devastation would not be understood until the waters receded. He offered federal assistance to the state in what is considered its worst-ever climatic calamity.
Casualties Due To The Floods:
The death toll from massive flooding in southern Brazil has risen to 100, according to the local civil defense agency, as rescuers continue to search for scores of missing persons.
Days of severe rains flooded the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, affecting around 400 communities.
As of Wednesday, the flooding has harmed hundreds of people and forced 160,000 others from their homes, with 128 people still missing, according to the state civil defense office.
According to Brazil’s national natural disaster center, the southern section of the state is at a “high threat” of more flooding throughout the daytime.
It stated that rainfall was forecast to resume, and while it was not predicted to be considerable in volume, water levels were already high in several areas, and the soil was saturated.
Many residents may not have access to drinking water or electricity, or even the ability to call for assistance, as telephone and internet services are down in many areas.
State Governor Eduardo Leite warned earlier this week that the death toll would undoubtedly rise as “the crisis continues to grow” in the state capital of Porto Alegre and other areas.
Relief Provided To The Flood Victims:
Only two of Porto Alegre’s six water treatment plants, which serve 1.4 million people, were operational on Tuesday, according to the mayor’s office, and tankers were supplying hospitals and shelters.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has pledged that there will be “no lack of resources” to address inhabitants’ demands.
“We understand the difficult financial situation faced by Rio Grande do Sul,” he said at an event in Brasilia, adding that he intended to ensure the state received “everything it is entitled to”.
“We still don’t know the specific magnitude of the floods, that will only be apparent to us when water levels return to average,” stated Lula.
Approximately 15,000 military, firefighters, police, and volunteers were working across the state to rescue those trapped and transport supplies.
The Brazilian navy was also set to send the NAM Atlantico vessel, Latin America’s largest, to Rio Grande do Sul on Wednesday, with two mobile water treatment stations.
On Wednesday, the water in Gasometro, a famous tourist area in Porto Alegre, continued to rise, complicating rescue efforts.
“The only way to cross is by foot or boat. “There is no other way,” 30-year-old Luan Pas told the AFP news agency, standing next to a street that has become a stagnant, stinking river.
Adriana Freitas, another Porto Alegre resident, claimed to have “lost everything”.
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