In Porto Alegre, Lake Guaíba could reach 5 meters this Friday | Brazil

Due to the rains hitting Rio Grande do Sul, Lake Guaíba, which bathes the capital, Porto Alegre, could raise its level by up to five meters by this Friday (5). The latest monitoring points to a level of 3.37 meters, rising eight centimeters per hour.

The flood is expected to affect the region of the islands and the south of the city, as well as the municipalities of Guaíba, Eldorado do Sul and Barra do Ribeiro.

“It is very important that people leave these locations now, because during the early hours of the morning they will already be heavily affected and (this) will reach a level we have never seen”, warned Governor Eduardo Leite, of Rio Grande do Sul.

In November last year, the level of Guaíba reached 3.46m and, in 1941, the historic flood in the state raised the level to 4.76m.

Currently, the city has a system of dikes and a concrete wall to contain the lake in times of flood. The Mauá Wall is three meters high and 2,647 kilometers long and protects the center of the capital. “The gates have already been closed to prevent flooding in this location, and we trust that we will have the capacity to respond to this,” said the governor.

Counties

In the Taquari Valley, the Taquari River has already exceeded 33 meters in the city, the highest in the region’s history. The mayor of Lajeado, Marcelo Caumo, expressed concern about the bridge over the river, on BR-386, which is covered by water.

“I hope that our Taquari River bridge can withstand this challenge that is being offered to it,” he said in a radio interview. This morning (2), a ferry collided with the structure of the bridge, which connects Lajeado to the neighboring municipality, Estrela.

The mayor appealed to people in potentially affected areas to leave their homes. “We need to overcome this stage of stabilization and saving people and then start thinking about the other consequences that a flood always brings”, he assured. At the moment, the homeless are being housed in a municipal gym.

In the only hospital in Lajeado, sand barricades were set up to prevent water from entering. Exams, surgeries, treatments and consultations were suspended, maintaining only urgent and emergency care. A field hospital will be installed by the federal government in the city. It will have 40 infirmary beds.

After a meeting today with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and ministers, the mayor of Santa Maria, in the central region, Jorge Pozzobom, said that this is the state’s biggest climate crisis. “Firstly, we want to save lives, there is no other way. We prioritize rescue, evacuation and reception,” he said, highlighting the need for agility in the reconstruction of cities.

The mayor of Faxinal do Soturno, Clóvis Montagner, also participated in the meeting with Lula and reported the municipality’s difficulty with the lack of fuel and the impossibility of transferring seriously ill patients to other municipalities. “It is the biggest tragedy we have seen in our region and in the state,” he said.

The mayor of Muçum, Mateus Trojan, asked for external support to clear access to the city and supply supplies. “We are totally isolated,” he said, remembering that the city had already been in disarray since last year’s floods.

He asks residents to observe imminent risks and possibilities of escape, and recalls the importance of maintaining balance. “We know how difficult it is to maintain serenity and balance in a crisis situation, but this is essential so that we can coordinate each action,” Trojan explained on social media.

Classes were suspended throughout the state public network and in most of the affected municipalities, services in some health units were interrupted.