Q24N (EFE) The south of Brazil continues to experience dramatic hours. While the damage inspection and monitoring of the number of victims left by these weeks of storm continues, the outlook is not good.
The phenomenon has already left at least 143 dead and approximately 125 missing. The storm and floods generated a crisis that forced the displacement of 620,000 people and put 2.1 million inhabitants in danger due to lack of water, food, energy and basic services.
With the continuation of the rain, it is presumed that in the next few hours the panorama may darken even more due to the possible growth of the surrounding rivers.
The most affected point is the state of Río Grande do Sul. There alone there are almost 140 dead and 806 injured; In the neighboring region of Santa Catarina, the catastrophe did not cause damage of the same magnitude, although the numbers are expected to rise considerably as the hours pass.
The alarms given by the National Disaster Surveillance and Alert Center (Cemaden) remain on. In Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul and the main site hit by the floods, they fear that the Guaíba River will once again exceed five meters and harm the city, whose historic center remains under water.
In this regard, Cemaden explained that, between Sunday and Monday, the Guaíba will add the water that moves through the basins of the Jacuí, Taquari-Antas, Caí, Sinos and Gravataí rivers, which are already overflowing.
The governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, once again asked displaced citizens not to return to their homes until the situation is controlled.
The crisis is also on the border. The levels of the Uruguay River are at critical levels and its growth is increasing, alarming the municipality of Uruguaiana. While, in Argentina, the storms have already affected the city of Concordia, where 547 people were evacuated.