The deaths caused by the devastating floods in the south of Brazil They rose to 57, a figure that has not stopped growing for four days, according to a report released by the authorities this Saturday.
Río Grande do Sul, a state bordering Argentina and Uruguay, is the most affected with 56 deaths, while another death was recorded in the neighboring state of Santa Catarina.
Thereto There are 67 missing people and tens of thousands of evicted people, of whom 8,296 are in public shelters and 24,666 in the homes of relatives and friends in Río Grande do Sul.
More than 8 thousand people, some of them perched on the roofs of their houses, had to be rescued by helicopter or boat in what is considered by the authorities as the worst natural disaster in the history of the region.
The airport in Porto Alegre, the regional capital, had to close on Friday night for an indefinite period, leaving hundreds of passengers unable to take their flights or leave the facilities due to road blockages.
What other effects are there in Brazil due to the floods?
Porto Alegre, with a population of 1.3 million inhabitants, is experiencing an unprecedented situation, with several streets in its historic center flooded after the Guaíba River that passes through the city rose to levels never seen before.
Besides, three water treatment stations were not operating this morning, pThe city council warned that more than thirty neighborhoods may have supply problems.
The rains still do not let up and the National Institute of Meteorology issued on Friday a red alert due to the probability of major flooding in the region of the upper Uruguay channel, on the border with the Argentine province of Misiones.
Rain volumes greater than 60 millimeters are expected until noon on Saturday and may reach a maximum of 100 millimeters in some parts of the Uruguay Valley.
In the last year, southern Brazil has suffered a series of associated extreme weather events to the El Niño phenomenon, which causes an increase in rainfall in this part of the country.
