At least 83 dead in floods in Brazil – World
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The biggest floods in the history of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul killed at least 83 people until Monday and left 111 missing and another 141,000 homeless, according to an updated report from the state Civil Protection. The uninterrupted torrential rain has already affected 850,000 people in 345 of the 496 municipalities in the largest state in southern Brazil.The devastation is so great that on Monday, a week after the start of the rain, there were still isolated municipalities where there was a lack of water, food and energy, and drones were trying to reach regions where bad weather did not allow rescue helicopters to fly. The Government recognized a calamity situation in 336 municipalities, and firefighters from other states continue to converge on the region, as does a legion of anonymous volunteers.
The state capital, Porto Alegre, where 1.3 million people live, has 70% of its neighborhoods flooded by the waters of the Guaíba River, which on Monday reached 2.26 meters in height.
The airport and bus terminals were closed, most of the city has no electricity, and drinking water began to be rationed.
