Severe floods in Brazil have caused humanitarian disaster. So far, 83 people have died in several cities of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, as a result of heavy rains and subsequent flooding. In the latest official count, Brazilian authorities also report 276 injured, 111 missing and more than 850,000 people affected by the natural phenomenon.
These spectacular figures are causing authorities to consider this the worst weather disaster in the history of Rio Grande do Sul, a region bordering Uruguay, surpassing last September’s cyclone, which left 54 dead.
Figures of the worst humanitarian disaster due to climate issues
The figures for the worst weather-related humanitarian disaster in this southern Brazilian state are devastating. Due to the rains some 134,000 people were forced to abandon their homes and 121,957 were evicted. Some 19,400 more are reported to be in shelters.
According to the most recent infrastructure damage assessment, some 261,000 areas are without power and 854,000 residences are without water supply.
With officially 83 deaths at the last count, the situation caused images never seen before, such as the state capital, Porto Alegre, isolated by water from the rest of the country.
Brazil’s President, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, promised in a visit to the region that bureaucracy will not be an impediment for the country to send all necessary aid to the disaster area. This weekend Lula headed the government’s visit to the epicenter of the floods, in a delegation formed by several ministers and the presidents of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, and of the Chamber of Deputies, Artur Lira.
The two presidents of the legislative chambers announced that this week the Congress will vote on “extraordinary measures” for financial aid.
El Niño exacerbates the clash of cold and warm air masses
According to climatological experts, the clash between cold masses from the polar zone and warm tropical masses is common in this area of Brazil. However, the El Niño phenomenon, which is already in the deactivation phase, aggravated the impact, causing the tragedy.
The explanation for this phenomenon revolves around a fatal confluence of natural phenomena. An anticyclone caused a heat wave that facilitated the transfer of moisture from the Amazon to the south of the country. What caused the disaster, however, was that the water-laden air mass was channeled southward, bringing historic rainfall to Rio Grande do Sul.
According to Brazilian climatologist Francisco Eliseu Aquino, this is not an abnormal phenomenon in the region. What was not predicted “was the intensity”; nobody was prepared for such a high magnitude of rainfall. The expert also points out that this type of catastrophic events will be repeated in the immediate future until they become recurrent.
See all the latest news from Colombia and the world at ColombiaOne.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow Colombia One on Google News, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and subscribe here to our newsletter.