In the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, really strong rains caused big problems. Sadly, 39 people have died and 68 more are missing, according to the state civil defense agency on Friday. The floods have been so bad that they’ve broken records, wrecking cities and making thousands of people have to leave their homes.
In the past year, there have been four big environmental disasters. These were floods that happened in July, September, and November of 2023. They caused the deaths of 75 people altogether.
Flooding across the state is worse than what happened in a huge flood back in 1941, says the Brazilian Geological Service. In some cities, water levels are higher than they’ve ever been in almost 150 years of record-keeping, according to the agency.
On Thursday, part of a dam at a hydroelectric plant between Bento Goncalves and Cotipora broke, causing a lot of water to flood entire cities like Lajeado and Estrela in the Taquari River valley. In Feliz, a town about 50 miles from Porto Alegre, the capital of the state, a big river became much bigger and washed away a bridge that linked it to Linha Nova, the nearby city.
Power, phone, and water got cut in many places in the state. Over 24,000 folks had to leave their homes, according to the civil defense agency.
Without internet, phones, or power, people found it hard to tell their family in other states what was happening. Helicopters kept flying over the cities, looking for people who needed help. Families with kids waited on their roofs to be rescued.
Isolete Neumann, who is 58 years old and lives in Lajeado city by the Taquari River valley, says she’s never seen anything like what’s happening now.
She said on the phone that it felt like watching a scary movie when people were building barricades in front of hospitals using sand and gravel. Some folks in her area were really desperate, she said. They even threw themselves into the water because of it.
Neumann’s neighborhood didn’t flood, but she doesn’t have any water at home and hasn’t showered since Tuesday. She’s using rainwater to cook. Her clothing store in the city’s main area got flooded too.
“I can’t even imagine how it must feel. It seems like there’s nothing left at all.”
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The heavy rain began on Monday and is forecasted to continue until at least today, according to Marcelo Seluchi, the main weather expert at Brazil’s National Center for Monitoring and Alerts of Natural Disasters, speaking on public television on Friday.
On Thursday evening, Governor Eduardo Leite warned people in the state, called gauchos, about heavy rains and floods. He said the situation was going to get worse in Porto Alegre.
“As a person, I feel devastated like everyone else,” he said. “But as governor, I’m standing strong. I promise we won’t give up. We’re working hard and staying focused to do everything we can.”
President Lula da Silva and Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida spoke about the flood victims in Brasilia during a press conference on Friday.
“Lula mentioned that Minister Fumio Kishida began our meeting by showing support for the people of Rio Grande do Sul. They’re facing one of the biggest floods ever seen there. Brazil has never experienced so much rain in one place before.”
El Niño is a natural event that happens sometimes in the Pacific Ocean. It warms up the water there. This affects the weather in South America. In Brazil, when El Niño comes, the north often gets less rain, causing droughts. But in the south, there’s usually a lot more rain than usual.
This year, El Niño caused a really bad drought in the Amazon rainforest. Scientists say that crazy weather like this happens more often because of people changing the climate.
Karina Lima, a 36-year-old scientist and PhD student studying climate at a university in Rio Grande do Sul, explained to The Associated Press that the area where the state is situated has certain features that make El Niño’s effects worse.
She said that experts expect Rio Grande do Sul to get more rain overall each year, with heavier downpours that are more intense and severe.
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