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Brazil is still reeling from massive flooding as it faces risk from new storms
Updated On: 09 May, 2024 08:34 AM IST | Porto Alegre | AP
More storms are expected in the state, with lightning strikes and wind gusts reaching up to 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph) in the south, according to Cátia Valente, the meteorologist in the state`s situation room
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Volunteer and service officers take back equipment and boats from Lake Guaiba as a storm brews in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Pic/AFP
Authorities in southern Brazil rushed on Wednesday to rescue survivors of massive flooding that has killed at least 100 people, but some residents refused to leave belongings behind while others returned to evacuated homes despite the risk of new storms. Heavy rains and flooding in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul since last week also have left 128 people missing, authorities said. More than 230,000 have been displaced, and much of the region has been isolated by the floodwaters. More storms are expected in the state, with lightning strikes and wind gusts reaching up to 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph) in the south, according to Catia Valente, the meteorologist in the state`s situation room.
Staffers of the state`s civil defense agency told The Associated Press they have been struggling to persuade residents of the city of Eldorado do Sul, one of the hardest hit by the floods, to leave their homes. It is located beside Porto Alegre, near the center of the state`s coastline. At least four people declined to evacuate. A flyover of Eldorado do Sul in a military helicopter showed hundreds of houses submerged, with only their roofs visible. Residents were using small boards, surfboards and personal watercraft to move around. Mayor Ernani de Freitas told local journalists that the city "will be totally evacuated." "It will take at least a year to recover," he said. Rio Grande do Sul`s Gov. Eduardo Leite, speaking at a news conference late Tuesday, appealed to residents to stay out of harm`s way, as the anticipated downpour may cause more severe flooding across the state.
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