Brazil floods, worst in nation’s history, kill at least 57

Neumann’s own neighbourhood wasn’t inundated, but has no running water and she hasn’t showered since Tuesday. She said she’s collecting rainwater in a basin to be able to cook. A clothing store she owns in the city’s central area is flooded, she added.

“I don’t even know how it must be. There must be nothing left.”

On Thursday night, Governor Eduardo Leite alerted the state’s population – known as gauchos – about the persistence of rains and floods. The situation was expected to worsen in Porto Alegre, he said.

“As a human being, I am devastated inside, just like every gaucho is,” he said. “But as governor, I am here steadfast and I guarantee that we will not falter. We are doing everything with focus, attention, discipline, and outrage, to ensure that everything within our reach is done.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva acknowledged the flood victims at a press conference alongside Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Brasilia.

“The first words from Minister Fumio Kishida in the meeting we held were of solidarity with the people of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, who are victims by one of the largest floods we have ever known,” Lula said. “Never before in the history of Brazil had there been such a quantity of rain in one single location.”

Weather across South America is affected by the climate phenomenon El Niño, a periodic, naturally occurring event that warms surface waters in the Equatorial Pacific region. In Brazil, El Niño has historically caused droughts in the north and intense rainfall in the south.

This year, the impacts of El Niño have been particularly dramatic, with a historic drought in the Amazon. Scientists say extreme weather is happening more frequently due to human-caused climate change.

Karina Lima, a 36-year-old scientist and PhD candidate in climatology at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, said the state is located in a region with certain characteristics that amplify El Niño’s destructive potential.

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“Models have long predicted that Rio Grande do Sul will continue to see an increase in average annual precipitation and extreme precipitation, meaning more concentrated and severe rainfall,” she said.

AP, Reuters

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