Continuous rain that has hit the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil for a week have left at least 37 dead and 74 missing as of Friday, in the state's "worst climate disaster," authorities reported.
The images throughout the region are catastrophic: huge surfaces completely flooded, rivers washing away bridges and roads, as well as spectacular rescues of people on roofs or about to be swept away by floods.
"I deeply mourn all the lives lost, there are 37 deaths recorded and with the deepest pain in my heart, I know there will be even more," said the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, in a live broadcast on YouTube.
Leite reported that the current count of 74 missing people may also grow, because there are difficulties in accessing isolated locations.
The floods are concentrated in the center of the state, where 154 towns have been affected.
In Capela de Santana, a municipality of 11,000 inhabitants, Raul Metzel, a 52-year-old machine operator, said he had never seen anything like it.
"Everything is under water, it's sad. And it's going to get worse. ... Who can sleep at night? We don't know how the water is going to rise, and when it reaches the door of the house, we can't lift anything," he told AFP sadly.
Aerial images from AFPTV show areas of Capela de Santana completely flooded, where only the roofs of homes are visible.
In its latest report (10 p.m. GMT), Civil Defense also reported 36 injuries. In addition, more than 10,000 people have been evacuated and 4,600 are in shelters.
'The worst climate disaster'
The governor insisted that it is the "worst climate disaster" in the state's history. Early Thursday morning, he declared a "state of public calamity" in Rio Grande do Sul.
Leite highlighted the efforts to "save lives" given the threat of more overflowing of rivers and streams in the state in the coming hours.
He also alerted the inhabitants of six mountain municipalities of overflows of the Caí River, after asking on Wednesday night to evacuate the homes in the Taquari River valley.
The collapse this Thursday of a dam in the municipality of Cotipora caused the waters of the Taquari to rise.
"I came here to help people, to get them out of the flood, because it is very dangerous, there is a lot of current," said Guilverto Luiz, a 52-year-old fisherman who joined the rescue efforts in Sao Sebastiao do Caí, about 45 miles from Porto Alegre, the state capital.
Leite also warned about the rapid rise of the Guaíba River in Porto Alegre, which could reach up to 15 feet during the early hours of Friday.
If the forecast is confirmed, it will be the largest flood in the history of the city, surpassing the one recorded in 1941, he explained.
The federal government mobilized 12 aircraft, 45 vehicles and 12 boats, in addition to sending 626 members of the military to help the affected population, distribute water and food and set up shelters.
Isolated municipalities
Heavy rain should continue through Saturday, officials said.
Brazil's National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) predicted strong winds with gusts, electric shocks, hail and rainfall that could exceed 8 inches in Rio Grande do Sul and the south of the neighboring state of Santa Catarina.
The government of Rio Grande do Sul also reported damage to roads and cuts in the supply of electricity and water for hundreds of thousands of people.
Many municipalities are isolated, without telephone or internet connection.
Schools were suspended throughout the state. The Gaúcha Soccer Federation suspended all matches scheduled for next weekend.
The catastrophe activated the still fresh memories of the inhabitants of Rio Grande Sul, which last September suffered a devastating cyclone that left at least 31 people dead.
