Bad weather hits Brazil. The floods caused 57 deaths: 70 thousand people displaced

John

By John

The floods affecting southern Brazil have caused at least 57 deaths, forcing 70,000 people to abandon their homes. The civil protection made this known. At least 74 people are injured while 67 people are missing. Two people who died in an explosion in a flooded petrol station in Porto Alegre are excluded from the tragic death toll. Rising water levels in the state of Rio Grande do Sul are putting a strain on dams and particularly threatening Porto Alegre, a city of 1.4 million people. The Guaiba River, which flows through the city, reached a historic level of 5.04 meters (16.5 feet), well above the previous record of 4.76 meters in 1941. Authorities ordered the evacuation of people neighborhoods submerged as rescuers used four-wheel drive vehicles – and even jet skis – to maneuver through waist-deep water in search of trapped people. In addition to the 69,200 residents forced to abandon their homes, civil protection said more than one million people lack access to drinking water due to the floods, which have caused “incalculable damage.”