Brazilian authorities They have raised the number of deaths to 75 and 103 people missing as a result of the two storms that have hit the entire state of Río Grande del Sur since this Monday, in the south of Brazilwhile the state capital, Porto Alegre, has once again entered a state of red alert after a sudden flood in the waters of the Guaíba River.
The state government of Rio Grande do Sul has also elevated 780,725 the number of people affected and 155 for injuries. Regarding the deaths, the authorities have clarified that six of the 75 cases of death are being investigated to confirm if they are directly caused by the rains.
There are 334 municipalities affected by the torrential rains, 16,609 homeless people and 88,019 who have had to be evacuated, according to the latest Civil Defense balance, collected by the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo. Furthermore they are 839,000 properties without water supply and 421,000 those who do not have electricity service. Telephone and Internet service has also been affected.
The water level of Gauíba River It reaches 5.3 meters, a figure that far exceeds the record of 4.7 meters registered in 1941.
The Civil Defense alert is directed to the lowest areas of the Metropolitan Region, under risk of “serious flooding” in the next 24 hours. The agency also advised the immediate evacuation of residents from risk areas in municipalities such as Porto Alegre, Guaíba, Barra do Ribeiro, Gravataí, Canoas, Charqueadas, Sapucaia do Sul, São Leopoldo, Novo Hamburgo and Taquara.
The authorities have suspended classes in 2,338 public schools, so there are almost 200,000 students affected. In addition, up to 224 schools have suffered material damage.
