Heavy rains in southern Brazil have killed at least 13 people and left 21 missing, authorities said on Thursday, prompting the state government to send rescue helicopters to search for stranded residents.
Experts say the heavy rains that have hit Rio Grande do Sul in recent days are far beyond what is normal for this time of year.
In the last four days of April, the state received about 70% of the precipitation it typically records throughout the month, according to data from the National Meteorological Institute analyzed by The New York Times.
The rains caused rivers to swell in the state’s low-lying Central Valley, flooding towns, collapsing bridges, blocking roads and triggering mudslides. The town of Canudos do Vale is isolated and has no electricity or communications. In the town of Candelaria, residents waited for rescue helicopters on the roofs of flooded houses.
Rio Grande do Sul’s civil protection agency said in a statement that nearly 10,000 people were forced to flee their homes. The crisis prompted Southern State Governor Eduardo Leyte to declare a state of emergency late Wednesday.
“We are experiencing our worst moment in Rio Grande do Sul – the worst disaster in our history,” Mr Wright said at a news conference on Wednesday. “Unfortunately, it’s going to get worse.”
Authorities have been struggling to contact isolated residents, with search and rescue teams unable to reach some areas due to high river levels and severe flooding. With nowhere to land, some helicopters used winches to pull residents out of flooded areas.
“We can’t complete all the rescues,” Mr Wright said on Wednesday.
Meteorologists warned that more rain could fall in the coming days, which could complicate rescue efforts.
The country’s President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who will visit the region on Thursday, pledged that federal agencies would “work together with state and municipal governments to get through this difficult period.”
Last year, heavy rains and strong winds caused by hurricanes killed 37 people in the same area of Brazil.
The National Meteorological Institute said the region was affected by the natural weather phenomenon of El Niño, which could trigger heavy rains in southern Brazil and cause drought in the Amazon rainforest.
