Landslides, completely submerged cities, mudslides… Rio Grande do Sul, located in southern Brazil, recently experienced a flood episode of historic proportions for the region. Governor Eduardo Leite described this calamity as the “worst climate disaster” ever seen in this area of the country, which borders Uruguay and Argentina. “I express my deepest condolences for all the lives lost,” he said on Thursday 2 May. “Currently 29 deaths have been recorded and, with great sadness, we know that there will be more victims.” There are also 60 people missing.
It is a region of strong Venetian immigration. Google maps also report such floods, particularly in the vicinity of Bento Goncavales, Nova Vicenza and Garibaldi.
From above, the images show entire neighborhoods completely submerged in water. Sometimes, only the roofs of the houses rise above the surface of the brown water. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” complains Raul Metzel, a resident of Capela de Santana, one of the cities hit hard by the storm. “Everything is underwater and the situation could get even worse. We don’t know how much the waters will continue to rise.”
Faced with the urgency of the situation, state authorities declared a “state of public disaster” on Wednesday evening. To support the rescue operations, over 600 soldiers were sent to reinforce the forces already present on the field and distribute food aid to the victims. On Thursday, President Lula visited the region, promising that Rio Grande do Sul “will have no shortage of human resources” in the coming days to deal with these disastrous weather conditions. Overall, at least 154 communities were affected by the floods.
In recent times, evacuations of residents have increased: over 10,000 people have had to abandon their homes, while around 4,600 have been welcomed into reception facilities. The population is shocked by the enormous losses suffered. Some are worried about their loved ones, like Claudio Oliveira, a 54-year-old mechanic from Capela de Santana, whose relatives live twenty kilometers away from the city. “We can’t do anything,” he sighs. “We can’t even go pick them up and bring them to our house.”
