Brazil Floods: 'State Of Emergency' Declared As Death Toll Reaches 56, Thousands Displaced

Understanding the severity of the situation, Governor Eduardo Leite declared a state of emergency. Emergency teams are engaged in search and rescue operations to locate survivors.

Heavy Rains Batter Brazilian Southern State of Rio Grande do Sul ( Image Source :Getty Images )

At least 56 people were killed as torrential rains triggered devastating floods and mudslides across Brazil, compelling several residents to flee their homes, Al Jazeera reported citing government sources on Saturday. Emergency teams are in a race against time, engaged in search and rescue operations to locate survivors buried beneath the wreckage of collapsed structures, including houses, bridges, and roads.

According to Brazil’s civil defence agency, escalating water levels in Rio Grande do Sul state are placing immense pressure on dams and posing a major threat to Porto Alegre, the state’s capital. 

Understanding the severity of the situation, Governor Eduardo Leite declared a state of emergency. “We are dealing with the worst disaster in [our] history,” he said, as per the Al Jazeera report. He further expressed fear that the death toll could mount further as rescue missions persist. 

Weather forecasters have issued warnings of ongoing danger, anticipating a further rise in the Guaiba River’s levels, exacerbating the already dire circumstances. The entire communities find themselves isolated, grappling with compromised infrastructure in the wake of relentless rainfall. 

In light of the critical conditions, authorities have urged residents to vacate high-risk zones adjacent to rivers and vulnerable hillsides susceptible to mudslides. The disruption caused by the calamity has served access to essential services such as portable water, leaving hundreds of thousands without access to basic amenities. 

The catastrophic floods and mudslides are part of a concerning trend of extreme weather events afflicting Brazil, with experts attributing the heightened frequency to the impacts of climate change. Al Jazeera reported that a recent cold front sweeping across the south and southeast regions, followed by a period of intense heat, has caused the situation to worsen. 

Weather patterns in South America are intricately linked to the climatic phenomenon of El Nino, characterised by the warming of surface waters in the equatorial Pacific. In Brazil, El Nino typically results in droughts in the north and intense rain in the south.

This year, the effects of El Nino have been particularly severe, evidenced by a historic drought in the Amazon. 

READ | Brazil Rains & Floods Kill 39 People In Rio Grande do Sul, Over 70 Missing