Rio’s Christ the Redeemer is asking for help following the floods that have hit southern Brazil for days. A symbolic image of a tragedy that has caused more than one hundred deaths to date, March 9th. It is the worst natural disaster to ever affect the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, with hundreds of people injured. Many do not have access to clean water or electricity or even the means to call for help, with telephone and internet services down in many places. There are 401 municipalities affected, but what is especially worrying is the situation around Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, where more than 160 thousand people are forced to abandon their homes.
The flood in Rio Grande do Sul is “a warning to humanity” regarding climate change. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva underlined this, adding that it is necessary “to take into account the fact that the Earth is demanding”. The government announced an investment of 1.7 billion reais (312 million euros) for the prevention of natural disasters linked to hydrogeological risk. The amount is part of an allocation of a total of 18.3 billion reals (3.3 billion euros) foreseen for the new Growth Acceleration Program (CAP). The investment will be aimed at improving water supply services in rural areas, ensuring safety in favelas and preventing natural disasters. Of the total, 152 million reais are intended for work in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Lula said: “We will have a dimension of what this climate disaster was only when the waters recede and we return to normality.” But according to some preliminary estimates, almost 100 thousand houses were damaged or destroyed, with economic losses exceeding 4.6 billion reais (908 million dollars).
Since late April, the equivalent of three months’ rainfall has fallen on the region. Twelve dams are under pressure due to the exceptional increase in water in the basins, the stadiums are flooded, and the international airport of the capital, Porto Alegre, remains closed. According to the hydraulic institute of the University of Rio do Sul, it could take 30 days before Lake Guaíba returns below the flood level and the waters that completely flooded Porto Alegre can drain from the streets. On Sunday 5 May the lake reached its highest level in history at 5.33 metres, surpassing the 1941 record. The city of Porto Alegre, home to 1.3 million inhabitants, is on its knees. And the constant presence of stagnant water throughout the city increases the risk of disease spreading. Furthermore, the city is isolated and supplies are struggling to arrive because the main access roads are still blocked. Most supermarkets in the city lack water, milk, eggs and basic necessities.
The disturbances began to hit Rio Grande do Sul on April 27, and the situation worsened on May 2 when strong storms arriving from the ocean hit an area already saturated with water. According to experts, a factor that contributed to the floods was the El Niño climate phenomenon, which consists of the warming of the waters of the central-eastern Pacific by at least 0.5 degrees for at least 5 months.
