Efforts were continuing to rescue people stranded by the floods in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, as more rains were forecast for the region into next week. The capital, Porto Alegre, has been virtually cut off, with the airport and bus station closed and main roads blocked due to the floodwaters.
Five of the city’s six water treatment facilities aren’t working, and Porto Alegre Mayor Sebastião Melo ordered that water be used exclusively for “essential consumption.” Local shops have also been short on water supplies.
“We are living an unprecedented natural disaster and everyone needs to help,” Melo told journalists. “The shortage is real and it will take some time until it goes back to normal.”
“The water level will rise and it will affect you,” he said in a video broadcast on his social media channels. “Please, believe the alerts and help us save lives. Let’s reduce the damage so we can be together to rebuild.”
Damage from the rains has already forced more than 150,000 people from their homes. An additional 50,000 have taken refuge in schools, gymnasiums and other temporary shelters.
During Mass at the Vatican on Sunday, Pope Francis said he was praying for the state’s population.
Security is another concern. Rio Grande do Sul’s public security secretariat said in a statement that police will beef up operations to prevent looting and theft. Several volunteers working on rescue operations have been robbed as they tried to help in the Porto Alegre metropolitan region.
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