This Saturday, the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, sent a “message of condolences and solidarity” to his Brazilian counterpart, Lula da Silva, due to the floods that have killed dozens of people in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
“Following the devastating floods that have hit the state of Rio Grande do Sul, causing the death of dozens of people, as well as the displacement of numerous families, and seriously affecting thousands of homes and essential infrastructures, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa conveyed to the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva, on behalf of himself and the Portuguese people, Portugal’s solidarity at this difficult time, as well as heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims,” reads a note published on the website of the Presidency of the Republic.
It should be noted that this Saturday, the local authorities blocked all access to the historic center of Porto Alegre, due to the torrential rains that have been affecting southern Brazil, causing unprecedented flooding.
According to the local media, the Guaíba River, which passes through Porto Alegre, has risen by around four and a half meters and is approaching the historical record recorded in 1941, when the rise in water in the river reached 4.76 meters.
This morning, the Rio Grande do Sul Public Defender’s Office confirmed 31 deaths caused by the rain throughout the state, 74 people missing and thousands more who have been forced to leave their homes, with 7,165 remaining in public shelters and another 17,000 in the homes of relatives or friends.
Storms in southern Brazil have been destroying roads, bridges, causing landslides and flooding since last Tuesday. The forecast is that the storms will continue over the weekend.
Brazil’s southernmost state has been badly affected by climate change. After suffering problems with a severe drought due to the La Niña phenomenon, last year the region was affected by El Niño and recorded four climate disasters caused by extratropical cyclones and storms in less than 12 months.
In 2023, three events occurred in June, September and November, causing 75 deaths.
Rio Grande do Sul, with a population of 11 million people, has been hit repeatedly over the last year by the El Niño weather phenomenon, which causes heavy rainfall in the south of the country and drought in the north and northeast of the country.
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