(Novo Hamburgo) At least 13 people died and three others are missing after the passage of a cyclone between Thursday and Friday in southern Brazil, which also claimed thousands of victims, authorities announced on Sunday.
Uninterrupted rains and strong winds caused damage in dozens of municipalities in the state of Rio Grande du Sud, including its capital Porto Alegre.
“The death toll stands at 13, including a four-month-old baby, after the discovery of two bodies in the city of Caraa, located in one of the most affected regions”, announced on Twitter the civil protection of this state bordering Uruguay and Argentina.
“Research continues”
“Research is continuing,” she added.
The number of missing has however been revised downwards, from 20 Saturday to three, all in the town of 8,000 inhabitants of Caraa, located on the coast, 90 km from Porto Alegre.
Strong winds swept the coastline, including the town of Tramandai, where winds of up to 101.9 km / h were recorded, according to official figures.
Local media broadcast images of a car swept away by strong winds in a cemetery.
“The water came up to our waists inside the house. Thank goodness the firefighters arrived quickly and got us into canoes. It looked like a nightmare,” a resident of the city of Sao Leopoldo told the Estadao newspaper, who did not give her identity.
Other people were evacuated by helicopter.
More than 5,000 residents had their homes damaged, and on Sunday around 84,000 people were still without power. About 800 were evacuated preventively.
State Governor Eduardo Leite announced on Saturday, after a helicopter reconnaissance of the most affected areas, that a four-month-old baby had died due to lack of timely medical treatment in Sao Sebastiao do Cai, hit by the cyclone.
“Our main objective at this stage is to protect and save human lives. Rescuing isolated people, locating missing people and providing assistance to families,” Mr. Leite said.
“A level never seen”
In Sao Leopoldo, a city of 240,000 inhabitants located half an hour from Porto Alegre, 246 mm of rain fell in 18 hours, “a level never seen in the history” of this city of 240,000 inhabitants, said underlined the mayor of Porto Alegre Ary Jose Vanazzi.
In Caraa, where the situation remains worrying, a center has been opened to accommodate hundreds of victims.
According to Leite, state firefighters have already assisted 2,400 people in areas affected by the cyclone.
Sunday, the streets of the towns of Novo Hamburgo, Lindolfo Collor and Sao Leopoldo were still flooded, homes were destroyed and vehicles were still partially covered by the waves.
When the rain stopped, soldiers were able to carry out rescue operations in Novo Hamburgo.
However, further rains and cold temperatures are expected in the middle of next week, which could complicate the situation for people affected by the cyclone.
Brazil has been hit in recent years by deadly weather, whose links to climate change are not ruled out by experts.
The effects are all the more devastating in a context of uncontrolled urbanization.
At least 65 people died in February in floods and landslides caused by torrential rains in the state of Sao Paulo (southeast).
About 9.5 million of Brazil’s 215 million people live in areas at risk of flooding or landslides.