Unwilling to evacuate, floods in Brazil kill hundreds of people! Some residents fear their homes will be ransacked
Recent heavy rains in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul have caused floods, killing 136 people and injuring 756 others. On the afternoon of the 11th, heavy rain poured down in the northern and central areas of the state, and river water levels rose. Rescuers continued to perform search and rescue missions in the rain.
According to data from the Civil Protection Department, nearly 2 million people have been affected by the disaster in Rio Grande do Sul, 410,000 people have been forced to evacuate, and 125 people are missing. Brazil's National Federation of Municipalities estimates that about 92,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.
The state capital, Porto Alegre, has a population of approximately 1.4 million. Rescue workers and volunteers are distributing food, drinking water, medicine and clothing in the area. Some residents feared their homes would be looted and were unwilling to evacuate.
Carlos Sampaio, 62, lives in a low-income neighborhood in Porto Alegre, where the crime rate is high. He opened a sports bar in the two-story building where he lived. Although the first floor was flooded, Sampaio had no plans to leave.
He said: "My property is not safe and I will try my best to protect what belongs to me."
Among Brazil's 26 states and the Capital Federal District, Rio Grande do Sul's per capita GDP ranks sixth, and many residents in the state are descendants of Italian and German immigrants.
Marilia Clos, a researcher at a Brazilian think tank, said: “People have the impression that Rio Grande do Sul is a wealthy white state, but this is not true. This is a discourse construction with political purposes that erases the local black residents and The existence of the poor.”
In Brazil, some low-income people live in houses made of wood, which are more vulnerable to damage in extreme weather.
State government data showed that on the afternoon of the 11th, the water level of the Guaiba River flowing through Porto Alegre dropped to 4.59 meters, the lowest in three days, but the water level began to rise again after that.
Governor Eduardo Wright said on social media on the 10th: "We cannot say that the worst is over."
The day before, Wright estimated that 19 billion reais would be needed for post-disaster reconstruction across the state.
The Brazilian federal government announced a rescue package on the 9th, which will invest 50.9 billion reais to support residents, businesses, state and municipal governments of Rio Grande do Sul.
The Brazilian Air Force airdropped 2 tons of food and water to the road interruption area on the 9th. Many churches, businesses, schools and ordinary people in Brazil have also actively participated in supporting the disaster areas.
El Niño can cause drought in northern Brazil and heavy rainfall in the south, especially this year. Researchers believe that climate change is causing extreme weather to become more frequent.
