Rio Grande do Sul state counts 132 people missing after heavy rains that hit 385 of the 497 municipalities since last week

05/07/2024

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Floods impacted Porto Alegre, the capital city of Rio Grande do Sul — Foto: Gustavo Mansur/Palácio Piratini

The government of Rio Grande do Sul confirmed that the heavy rains that hit the state over the last week killed at least 90 people. The death toll could rise even further in the coming days, as 132 people are missing and 361 injured. There are also four deaths under investigation.

This is among the worst disasters in more than 30 years in Brazil considering deaths from intense rain. According to the Digital Atlas of Disasters in Brazil, produced by the Ministry of Regional Development with data from 1991 to 2022, the disaster in Rio Grande do Sul was only surpassed by the storms of May 2022 that killed 117 people in Greater Recife (Pernambuco).

The Civil Defense of Rio Grande do Sul informed that 48,147 people lost their homes and have been relocated to shelters provided by the public authorities, and 155,741 have been displaced. Of the total of 497 municipalities in the state, 388 were affected by the heavy rains in the region. The rains that devastated cities in Rio Grande do Sul reached Santa Catarina and Paraná, causing another three deaths.

The extreme weather also damaged agriculture in the state. A survey by the National Confederation of Municipalities (CNM) shows that agriculture is the sector of the economy most affected by the disaster, with financial damages amounting to R$506.8 million, according to data collected until Monday (6) afternoon.

According to the CNM, there are so far R$967.2 million in total losses in Rio Grande do Sul also considering other economic segments and the public sector. However, the number could be much higher. The amount includes just 25 municipalities that reported to the CNM.

According to J.P. Morgan, although the “shocking floods” in Rio Grande do Sul bring a huge humanitarian toll, the impact on the Brazilian GDP “tends to be modest.” “More impacting could be the political and medium-term effect on fiscal accounts, depending on how the government and the Parliament decide to deal with the region’s needs,” said economist Vinicius Moreira and chief economist Cassiana Fernandez.

They point out that Rio Grande do Sul currently accounts for some 8.6% of the Extended Consumer Price Index (IPCA) and 6.5% of Brazil’s GDP in 2021 (the latest official data available).

Rio Grande do Sul also faces a strong impact on infrastructure due to the flooding. According to a report released on Monday (6) evening by the State Logistics and Transport Department, 26% of customers served by water utility Corsan remain without water supply, which means a total of 750,000 customers.

RGE Sul, a power distribution company that caters to 381 cities, including Novo Hamburgo, Canoas, and Santa Maria, has 270,000 points without energy, representing 8.8% of customers. CEEE Equatorial did not provide an update on the numbers but, according to the report released on Monday morning, 9.5% of customers had no power.

As for telecommunications, Telecom Italia’s TIM said 38 cities have no voice and internet services. Telefónica’s Vivo reported that 28 municipalities in its operations base are without service, and América Móvil’s Claro, 19 municipalities.

The report also informs that 789 schools in 216 municipalities have been affected—either due to damages, or because they are serving as shelters, or have experienced access problems, among other reasons. In total, 273,000 students have been impacted.

Return to classes has occurred gradually, but in the capital Porto Alegre there is still no date for resumption.

In the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, residents of two neighborhoods in the central area had to leave their homes and were advised to seek shelter in the face of imminent new floods after the water pumping system was shut down on Monday (6).

According to city hall, the local electricity provider halted the power supply to one of the pump houses for safety reasons. The system broke on Friday (3), causing all the water that had been dredged to flood the downtown area again.

(With news agencies)

Source: Valor International

https://valorinternational.globo.com/