The heavy rains that hit the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul led to the death of at least 39 people, and 69 are missing without a trace, reported the Associated Press, quoted by BTA, referring to the local rescue services.
Thousands have been evacuated because of the floods that devastated entire cities. This is the fourth such natural disaster in the last year. There were major floods in July, September and November 2023, and the victims then were a total of 75 people.
According to data from the Brazilian Geological Survey, the current floods in the Rio Grande do Sul are greater than those at the time of the historic flood in 1941. In some cities, the highest water level has been recorded since statistics began to be kept nearly 150 years ago.
On Thursday, the dam wall of a hydroelectric plant between the towns of Bento Goncalves and Cotipora partially collapsed, and entire towns in the Takwari river valley were completely flooded.
There are reports of power, communications and water outages across Brazil. According to the Civil Protection Service, more than 24,000 people had to leave their homes. Due to the problems with telecommunications and electricity, many people find it difficult to provide up-to-date information to their loved ones and relatives abroad about their situation. Helicopters constantly fly over the cities, and stranded families with children await rescue teams on the roofs of buildings.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva yesterday commented on the crisis situation at a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is on a visit to Brazil. "At our meeting, Minister Fumio Kishida, he first expressed solidarity with the residents of the state of Rio Grande do Sul… "Never before in the history of Brazil have such amounts of rain fallen in one place," Lula said.
The meteorological situation in South America is influenced by the El Niño climate phenomenon – a periodic natural phenomenon that warms the surface of the Pacific Ocean. El Niño has in the past caused droughts in the northern part of Brazil and intense rainfall in the southern regions of the country, notes AP.
This year the impact of El Niño has been particularly dramatic, with the Amazon experiencing a historic drought. Scientists say extreme weather events are becoming more frequent due to human-induced climate change.
"Models have long predicted that the Rio Grande do Sul will continue to see an increase in average annual precipitation and extreme rainfall, which means more concentrated and heavy precipitation,” Karina Lima, a 36-year-old doctoral student in climatology at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.