The tragedy that is being experienced in the south of Brazil, where the floods due to the heavy rains that have hit the region for two weeks have already left 144 dead and 125 missing, may worsen in the coming hours due to the flooding of the rivers due to the temporary this Sunday.
The weather has made rescue efforts difficult and actions have focused on the distribution of humanitarian aid to the 620,000 displaced people, of whom 82,200 are in temporary shelters.
In total there are 2.1 million people affected by the lack of housing, food, water, energy and medical services.
The regional government announced that the largest warship in Latin America arrived on Saturday at the port of the city of Rio Grande for humanitarian aid operations, with equipment that includes two water treatment plants that can produce a total of 20,000 liters per hour.
It also has an intensive care unit, a thermal bath, an operating room, a dental office and a full pharmacy.
Vice Admiral Fonseca Júnior said the ship’s deployment represents the largest effort by the Brazilian Navy to help the population of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, which is almost as large as Italy and where almost 90% of all cities have been been affected by the floods, reported the Agência Brasil news agency.
In the neighboring state of Santa Catarina, affected to a lesser degree by the catastrophe, one death has been reported, but the figures may change in the coming hours due to the storms, which have not let up since dawn in six municipalities bordering Rio Grande do Sul.
Alerts issued for river flooding
The alerts issued this Sunday by the National Disaster Surveillance and Alert Center (Cemaden) remain active, especially in the Taquarí Valley, one of the most affected regions, and in Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, whose center historic remains flooded and could worsen if the Guaíba River exceeds five meters again.
According to the entity, the Guaíba will receive between Sunday and Monday all the water that moves through the basins of the Jacuí, Taquari-Antas, Caí, Sinos and Gravataí rivers, all of which are swollen.
The alarms also continue to be reinforced for the municipality of Uruguaiana, on the border with Argentina, where the waters of the Uruguay River have already exceeded critical levels and continue to grow.
In the neighboring country, Uruguay, the storms are already being felt in the city of Concordia, where the authorities have had to evacuate almost 600 people, of which more than 2,400 self-evacuated, according to the authorities.
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