RIO GRANDE DO SUL, BRAZIL – Torrential rainfall in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul has led to the death of at least 10 individuals, with 21 more unaccounted for since Monday, according to the National Civil Defense.
In addition, the storms have resulted in injuries to 11 people and displacement of over 3,300 residents due to the extensive damage to their homes, the civil defense further reported.
The state has been grappling with power and water outages, with numerous reports of flooded roads, landslides, and bridge collapses due to the rapid rise in river and stream water levels.
In response to the crisis, the Brazilian Air Force mobilized to aid those stranded, deploying two helicopters for rescue missions. Vice-Governor Gabriel Souza stated that the state’s crisis cabinet convened on Wednesday with the primary goal of rescuing individuals in isolated and island regions. By Wednesday morning, authorities had received over 130 rescue requests.
Souza expressed particular concern for dams on alert due to the risk of failure and subsequent flooding caused by the high water levels. He confirmed that residents in the surrounding areas are being relocated for their safety.
The heavy rain began on Monday and is projected to continue until Friday, according to civil defense authorities. The National Institute of Meteorology, known in Portuguese as INMET, reported that in certain regions, including valleys, mountain slopes, and cities, more than 6 inches of rain had fallen within a 24-hour period on Tuesday.
The weather patterns in South America, including Brazil, are influenced by the El Niño climate phenomenon. This phenomenon periodically warms the surface waters in the Equatorial Pacific region, historically causing droughts in the northern regions of Brazil and intense rainfall in the south.
This year, the effects of El Niño have been remarkably severe, leading to a historic drought in the Amazon. Scientists have attributed the increasing frequency of extreme weather events to human-induced climate change.