- President Lula visits flooded Rio Grande do Sul, offers support
- Flooding in southern Brazil displaces over 10,000, claims 29 lives
- State governor describes situation as worst in state’s history
On Thursday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva embarked on a visit to the state of Rio Grande do Sul to meet with local authorities and convey his solidarity in the wake of the proclamation of a state of catastrophe. The region has experienced the forced displacement of over 10,000 individuals.
Local authorities have characterized the flooding in the southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, as “the most critical flooding ever recorded,” which has claimed the lives of at least 29 individuals.
Civil defense in Rio Grande do Sul reports that the storms, which have caused the most destruction in the state in recent years, have also displaced 10,242 individuals across 154 communities and left 60 people missing.
State governor Eduardo Leite stated in a live social media broadcast, “It’s not just another critical case; it’s the most critical that the state will likely ever have recorded in its history.” He added that the situation is worse than the rainfall that occurred in the state last year.
The state’s primary utilities company reported that since Thursday, when a dam at a small hydroelectric power facility burst, over 300,000 people have been left without power.
Thursday, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil embarked on a visit to the state with the purpose of convening with local authorities and conveying his solidarity.
He wrote on X that our government will invest all available resources in addressing the requirements of the people impacted by the rainstorms.
As water levels in rivers and streams rose significantly, operators reported power and water outages throughout the state, and officials detailed numerous incidents of flooded roads, landslides, and collapsed bridges.
In certain areas of the region, six inches of precipitation fell within twenty-four hours, as reported by the Portuguese acronym INMET, the National Institute of Meteorology of Brazil, on Tuesday.
Wednesday, Governor Leite described the impending flooding as “the worst climate disaster” in the history of the state.
South America experiences El Nino, a climatic phenomenon that occurs periodically. However, the current year has witnessed its most pronounced consequences to date, including an unprecedented dearth in the Amazon.
Extreme weather is occurring more frequently, according to scientists, as a result of climate change caused by humans.
