PORTO ALEGRE: The death toll from floods and mudslides triggered by torrential storms in southern Brazil has climbed to 56 people, with 74 injured and another 67 missing, the country’s civil defence agency said on Saturday.

Fast-rising water levels in the state of Rio Grande do Sul were straining dams and threatening the metropolis of Porto Alegre, one of the largest cities in southern Brazil.

Authorities there were scrambling to evacuate some neighborhoods that had been submerged — in some cases using helicopters to rescue people stranded on roofs. And heavy rains of “very high severity” are expected to continue into Sunday, Civil Defence authorities said. The rapid rise of the Guaiba River, which runs through Porto Alegre, brought serious flooding to the city’s historic center.

‘Going to be much worse’

With waters starting to overtop a dike along another local river, the Gravatai, Mayor Sebastiao Malo issued a stern warning on social media platform X, saying, “Communities must leave!”

That warning came a day after the Rio Grande del Sul governor, Eduardo Leite, warned on X that “in the metropolitan region it’s going to be much worse.” Leite called it the worst disaster in the state’s history.

Residential areas found themselves underwater as far as the eye can see, with roads destroyed and bridges swept away by powerful currents. Rescuers faced a colossal task, with entire towns — some left without electricity or drinking water — made inaccessible.

At least 300 municipalities have suffered storm damage in Rio Grande do Sul since Monday, according to local officials, displacing more than 24,600.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2024