The death toll from heavy rains that caused flooding in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul has risen to at least 78, and more than 115,000 people have been displaced from their homes, local authorities said on Sunday.
Volunteers using boats, jet skis and even swimming are assisting in rescue efforts. In the state capital Porto Alegre, Fabiano Saldanha said he and three friends had used jet skis since Friday to rescue about 50 people from floodwaters on islands that make up the city. He said:
“The only thing we hear when we enter a street is “help, help.”
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrived in Rio Grande do Sul on Sunday morning with most of his cabinet to discuss rescue and recovery efforts with local authorities. Lula said at a press conference:
“Bureaucracy will not stand in our way, stopping us from recovering the state’s greatness.”
State governor Eduardo Leite added:
“It is a war scenario, and will need post-war measures.”
The state’s civil defence office said the death toll could rise significantly as 105 people were reported missing on Sunday, up from about 70 the day before. It also said it was investigating whether four more deaths were linked to the storms.
Floods destroyed roads and bridges in several towns. The rains also caused landslides and the partial collapse of a dam at a small hydroelectric plant. Floods caused by storms over the past few days have affected more than two-thirds of the nearly 500 towns in the state bordering Uruguay and Argentina, forcing more than 115,000 people from their homes, according to authorities.
On Sunday evening, more than 400,000 people were without electricity and nearly a third of the state’s population was without water, authorities said.
In Porto Alegre, the Guaiba lake overflowed its banks and reached record high water levels, according to the national geological service. Porto Alegre International Airport has suspended all flights since Friday.
During his weekly address to the crowd in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Pope Francis said on Sunday he was praying for the people of Rio Grande do Sul state.
