NASA releases satellite images that show the scale of the tragedy in Rio Grande do Sul

Rains have killed more than a hundred people

NASA, a space agency linked to the United States government, released images captured by satellite that show the scale of the tragedy caused by the rains that have hit Rio Grande do Sul since last week.

As of Thursday afternoon, 107 people had died, 374 were injured and 136 were missing. Across the state, 428 municipalities were affected – see the list here.

For comparison purposes, NASA released two images of the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre: one from April 20th – before the start of the current climate events – and another from this week.

The most recent image shows the Jacuí, Sinos and Caí rivers completely flooded, with water overflowing over a large area from the riverbeds. The clay-colored waters reach Lake Guaíba and Lagoa dos Patos.

The image below shows, in blue, the normal level of the rivers that bathe Greater Porto Alegre and, in red, how these watercourses looked after the storms.

The overflow of these large rivers caused major flooding in municipalities in the metropolitan region. In addition to Porto Alegre, satellite images show cities such as Canoas, Guaíba and Eldorado do Sul under water.

Another image focused on Porto Alegre shows how the city was punished by the floods of the Guaíba River, whose level exceeded five meters for the first time in history. In the image, it is possible to see the island region, the port, the Historic Center, Salgado Filho airport and the Beira-Rio and Arena do Grêmio stadiums completely flooded.