The streets of Sao Sebastiao do Cai are flooded after torrential rains. More than 150,000 people have lost their homes as a result of the flood disaster in Rio Grande do Sul state in southern Brazil. Photo: Carlos Macedo / AP / NTB
Of NTB | 08.05.2024 02:24:00
Policy: On the outskirts of Eldorado do Sul, which is 17 kilometers from the state capital Porto Alegre, many are hungry and forced to sleep under the open sky.
– We have been without food for three days, and we only just now received a blanket. I’m with people I don’t even know and I don’t know where my family is,” a young man named Ricardo Junior told Reuters.
The state’s authorities state that in addition to the 90 who died, there are 131 who have not been accounted for and 155,000 who have lost their homes. The torrential downpours that began last week have caused flooding in rivers, submerged entire villages and destroyed roads and bridges. In addition, livestock have died and agricultural land has been submerged. Climate experts link the torrential rain to the El Niño weather phenomenon, which causes drought in some parts of the world and increased rain in others.
President Lula da Silva has promised federal aid to Rio Grande do Sul. The flood is considered the state’s worst extreme weather disaster.
(© NTB)