MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Heavy storms: Rio Grande do Sul's number of fatalities updated to 29

The number of casualties will most likely rise because some 60 people are still missing, Leite explained

The number of fatalities in Southeastern Brazil was updated to 29 on Thursday after at least 203 cities in the State of Rio Grande do Sul were hit by heavy storms, which are also forecast to move on to neighboring Santa Catarina over the next few days. Some 60 people are still missing, it was also reported. A hydroelectric dam broke near Bento Gonçalves, raising the alert status.

The main regions affected are municipalities located in the center of the state, Vale do Rio Pardo, Vale do Taquari, the Serra Gaucha region, and the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul. Civil Defense is warning residents of risk areas in six municipalities to leave their homes.

Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite (PSDB) declared a state of public calamity for 180 days after 203 municipalities in the state were affected by the heavy rains, just over 40% of all the cities in the state. The current phenomenon is likely to be “the biggest weather disaster” ever faced by the people of Rio Grande do Sul, he explained.

Leite described the situation as “absurdly exceptional” and that the rain falling in the state would cause the “worst flood ever seen”, surpassing that of 1941. He also said that the storm has hampered rescue efforts and urged the population to seek protection in places far from areas that could suffer from river flooding and landslides.

“It is absolutely impossible to meet all the rescue requests in the weather conditions we are experiencing,” he said. “We can't reach every location. We know of floods, landslides, and people who are in inaccessible places,” he said. ”Unfortunately, this figure (of 29 deaths) will rise. There are 60 registered missing persons,“ he also noted.

The Taquari River, one of the state's main rivers, is at its highest point in history. A total of 71,306 people have been affected, with 10,242 displaced, 4,645 sheltered, and 36 injured. In Porto Alegre, the Guaíba River is expected to reach the highest height ever recorded, surpassing the 4.73 meters recorded in the 1941 flood. According to the governor, the river is rising at a rate of 8 centimeters per hour and was at a height of 3.37 meters until 7 pm on Thursday. ”It's going to pass 4 meters this morning,“ said Leite.

According to the government's report, 160 state and federal highways have been blocked and 160 points have been georeferenced to carry out a rescue. According to Civil Defense Colonel Luciano Boeira, 4,600 people have been rescued and more than 2,500 civil servants are working to find those affected.

Meteorologists from the government warned, in a live broadcast alongside Leite, that heavy storms should continue this Friday and into the weekend. They would not be subsiding at least until Sunday. ”Instability continues over the state of Rio Grande do Sul. That channel of humidity coming from the north of the country will continue over the next few days,“ said meteorologist Cátia Valente. ”We still have very high volumes of rain in the northwest, north of Rio Grande do Sul and the flow continues through the central region of the state, heading towards the Serra, the north coast, and also in Campos de Cima da Serra and the entire valley region.”

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva traveled to Rio Grande do Sul Thursday to meet with Leite. During the encounter, it was decided to create an Integrated Situation Room, under the coordination of the military commander of the South, General Hertz Pires do Nascimento, to organize rescue operations in all the affected regions.