They report 76 dead and more than 100 missing due to floods – El Financiero

Devastating floods in southern Brazil have caused the death of at least 76 people, while another 103 remain missing, authorities reported this Sunday at noon.

The state of Rio Grande do Sul, bordering Argentina and Uruguay and the most affected by the rains, reported 75 deaths in the last balance, while the neighboring state of Santa Catarina registered one death.

In addition, authorities are investigating whether six other deaths are related to the climate tragedy that has hit the south of the country since the beginning of the week, and is already considered the worst natural disaster in the history of the region.

The floods have caused the displacement of tens of thousands of people; 88,019 inhabitants have had to leave their homes and move to those of family and friends, while 16,609 have found accommodation in public shelters.

In Rio Grande do Sul, with a population of 11 million people, some 421,000 homes remain without electricity as of this morning, and 115 municipalities lack telephone and internet services.

Regarding communication routes, there are still 61 roads with total and partial blockages due to the flooding of the rivers.

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The level of the Guaíba riverwhose waters have flooded the historic center of the regional capital of Porto Alegre, a city of 1.3 million inhabitants, grew again this Sunday morning up to 5.33 centimeters, its highest mark in history.

Meanwhile, the city’s international airport, which closed on the night of Friday, May 3, after the flood reached its takeoff and landing pads, remains closed.

After visiting the region on Thursday, May 2, the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silvatraveled again this Sunday to Rio Grande do Sul to fly over the affected populations and monitor the response to the emergency, for which the government has deployed a thousand soldiers in support of the regional Executive.

Rio Grande do Sul authorities have warned that despite reduced rainfall over the weekend, flooding is still expected to continue for several days.

In the last year, southern Brazil has suffered a series of extreme weather events associated with the El Niño phenomenon, which causes an increase in rainfall in this part of the country.