A man walks on a flooded street in the city of Novo Hamburgo in the state of Rio Grande do Sul after an extratropical cyclone hit southern Brazil, June 17, 2023. JULIANA NUNES / AFP
At least 13 people have died and four others are missing after a cyclone hit southern Brazil’s southern state of Rio Grande between Thursday and Friday, also killing thousands, authorities said on Sunday June 18.
“The number of dead rises to 13 and the search continues,” said the civil protection of this border state between Uruguay and Argentina, whose capital is Porto Alegre, on Twitter. However, the number of missing has been revised downwards, from twenty on Saturday to four on Sunday, all in the worst-hit town of Caraa, of 8,000 and located on the coast 90 kilometers from Porto Alegre.
A four-month-old baby was among the dead, according to local media, which broadcast images of a car swept away by strong winds in a cemetery.
The homes of more than 3,700 residents were damaged
View of a destroyed house in the city of Sao Leopoldo in Rio Grande do Sul state after an extratropical cyclone hit southern Brazil and caused thunderstorms and storms, June 17, 2023. PRISCILA CARVALHO / AFP
“We were waist-deep in water in the house. Thank God the firefighters came quickly and put us in canoes. It looked like a nightmare,” a resident of the city of Sao Leopoldo told the Esstadao newspaper, who did not give her name. Other people were evacuated by helicopter.
The homes of a total of 3,700 residents were damaged, while a total of 697 residents were evacuated from risk areas due to the cyclone between Thursday and Friday. State Governor Eduardo Leite flew to the hardest-hit areas in a helicopter on Saturday, particularly accompanied by relief workers.
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In Sao Leopoldo, 246 millimeters of rain fell in 18 hours, “a level unprecedented in the history” of this city of 240,000 inhabitants, said the mayor of Porto Alegre, Ary Jose Vanazzi.
In Caraa, where the situation is worrying, a community center has been converted into a hostel to house hundreds of victims. “We are very concerned about the situation in Caraa. It is fundamental that we (…) can quickly map the main affected areas and identify those in need of assistance,” Mr. Leite is quoted as saying in the press release.
According to him, state firefighters have already come to the aid of 2,400 people in the cyclone-hit areas. “Our primary goal, first of all, is to protect and save lives. We rescue isolated people, locate missing people and provide assistance to families,” said Mr. Leite.
Brazil has been hit by numerous deadly weather events in recent years, which experts say have been exacerbated by climate change. At least 65 people died in floods and landslides caused by torrential rains in Sao Paulo state (southeast) in February.
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Against the background of uncontrolled urbanization, the effects are all the more devastating: around 9.5 million of Brazil’s 215 million inhabitants live in areas at risk of flooding or landslides.
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