The regional government warned of an “extreme hydrological risk” in the next 24 hours and advised the population to avoid the vicinity of rivers and seek refuge in a safe place.
The death toll from heavy rains in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, bordering Uruguay and Argentina, rose to 13, regional authorities indicated this Thursday in a new report.
The latest balance indicated 10 deaths.
Still to register 12 injured and 21 missing in the floods that have already affected more than 44,600 people in 134 municipalities in the last week, according to the local Civil Defense.
So far, 5,257 people have had to take refuge in the homes of relatives or friends and 3,079 are in shelters.
The regional government warned of an “extreme hydrological risk” in the next 24 hours in much of the state and advised the population to avoid the vicinity of rivers, whose flow continues to increase due to the rains, and seek refuge in a safe place. place.
The governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, decreed on Wednesday night state of public calamity for a period of 180 days.
However, images released by the Brazilian Presidency show that the head of state, Lula da Silva has already arrived in Rio Grande do Sul “to check the situation in the region after the heavy rains”.
Rio Grande do Sul, with a population of 11 million people, has been repeatedly affected in the last year by the El Niño climate phenomenon, which causes heavy rains in the south of the country.
In September, an extratropical cyclone caused more than 40 deaths in the region.
Source: Observadora
