Floods are getting worse in the South of Brazil: there are already 56 dead and the water is advancing within the city of Porto Alegre

Houses covered by water, streets completely flooded, neighbors climbing to the roofs waiting to be rescued, and those who managed to reach the shelters lamenting that they lost everything. So desolate It is the panorama that is experienced in the southern brazilespecially in the city of Porto Alegrefor the strong storms that hit the region since Monday.

According to the latest report from the authorities, the devastating floods have already left at least 56 deadbut there is a general fear that this number will increase because There are 67 people who are still missing.

Rio Grande do Sul, a state bordering Uruguay and Argentina, is the region most impacted by the climate phenomenon, but The scourge of the rains is also beginning to be felt in the neighboring state of Santa Catarinawhich has already reported the first fatality and where 33 cities have been affected.

According to the Civil Defense of Rio Grande do Sul, Tens of thousands of people had to evacuate their homesof which 8,168 are in public shelters and another 24,080 in the homes of family or friends.

The governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, said in a press conference that “The numbers can change substantially”as rescue teams gain access to localities that remain isolated.

In total, there are already 265 municipalities affected – more than half of those that make up the state – including the regional capital, Porto Alegre, whose historic center was completely flooded after the Guaíba River overflowed when it reached its highest level in eight decades. .

A day after visiting the affected region, the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, stated that this is “one of the largest floods” of which he was aware and repeated that the Government was not going to spare resources to address the tragedy. .

The Armed Forces have deployed 936 soldiers, as well as nine aircraft, 98 ships and 70 vehicles to help in the rescue efforts, in addition to the 2,000 personnel of the regional rescue forces.

So far, authorities have managed to rescue some 8,600 people in “air, sea and land operations carried out by integrated response forces,” according to Governor Leite.

Meanwhile, Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet) issued a red alert for heavy rains and the probability of major flooding in the region of the upper Uruguay channel, on the border with the Argentine province of Misiones.

Rain volumes greater than 60 millimeters are expected until noon on Saturday, potentially reaching a maximum of 100 millimeters in some parts of the Uruguay Valley.

Added to that the risk of four dams breakinglocated in the cities of Cotiporã, Bento Gonçalves, Canela and São Martinho da Serra.

Authorities also warned that The water of the Guaibá River will continue to rise in the next few hourswhich may cause new flooding in the metropolitan area of ​​Porto Alegre.

The weather situation also led the Porto Alegre international airport to cancel operations until further notice.