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By Ana Ionova
Report from Rio de Janeiro
At least 29 other people have died and 60 others are missing after heavy rains flooded southern Brazil, prompting the state government to send rescue helicopters to search for stranded residents, the government said on Thursday.
The torrential rains that have hit the state of Rio Grande do Sul in recent days have been much higher for this time of year, according to experts.
In the last 4 days of April, the state gained about 70% of the rainfall it records for the entire month, according to knowledge from the National Meteorological Institute analyzed through The New York Times.
The rains caused rivers to rise in the state’s Central Valley region, flooding cities, causing a bridge to collapse, blocking roads and triggering landslides. One of the towns, Canudos do Vale, remained isolated, without electricity or communication. In Candelária, citizens waited for rescue helicopters on the rooftops of their flooded homes.
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People use a small boat to take them to dry land.
São Sebastián del Caí
Firefighters rescued one man and his own on Thursday.
Sinimbu
Electricity poles and trees were brought down by the wind and heavy rains.
Nearly 10,000 more people were forced to flee their homes, Rio Grande do Sul’s civil cover company said in a statement. The crisis prompted the governor of Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, to declare a state of emergency on Wednesday night.
“We are living in Rio Grande do Sul the worst moment, the worst catastrophe in our history,” Leite said at a news conference Wednesday. “And sadly, it’s going to get worse. “
Authorities have struggled to reach isolated citizens, and search and rescue teams have been unable to succeed in some areas due to high river levels and heavy flooding. With nowhere to land, some helicopters used winches to pull citizens out of flooded areas.
“We’re not going to do all the rescues,” Leite said Wednesday.
Sinimbu
Cleaning and products from supermarket workers.
Sébastien do Caí
On Thursday, volunteers used a fishing boat to rescue citizens trapped in their homes.
Sinimbu
The rubble of a space destroyed by heavy rains.
Forecasters warned that more rain is likely to arrive in the coming days, which could further complicate relief efforts.
The country’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who visited the region on Thursday, promised that federal agencies “will unite the efforts of the state government and municipalities to overcome this difficult period. “
Last year, another 37 people died in the same region of Brazil from torrential rains and strong winds caused by a cyclone.
The National Meteorological Institute said the region is recovering from the effects of a weather phenomenon known as El Niño, which can bring heavy rains to Brazil’s southern regions, while also causing droughts in the Amazon rainforest.
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