07.05.2024

At least 85 dead after devastating floods in Brazil

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has asked Congress to declare a state of public disaster because of heavy rains that have killed at least 85 people in the country's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul, reports Reuters.

More than 130 people are still missing after floods affected more than two-thirds of the state's nearly 500 towns, leaving about 150 people displaced, the state's civil defense agency said.

The floods destroyed roads and bridges in several cities, triggering landslides and other destruction.

Lula's measure requires Congress to declare a state emergency, which would authorize additional government spending without having to meet the spending cap set by fiscal rules approved last year.

The state's recovery-related spending and tax exemptions also would not be counted in the government's fiscal bottom line under the measure.

"We still don't have an estimate of what it will take." Only when the water recedes will we know the actual damage," said Planning Minister Simon Tebbet.

Worrying predictions

Weather conditions improved briefly on Monday. However, the rains are expected to return with a smaller amount already this week, and between May 10 and 15 they may increase, warns the local meteorological institute MetSul Meteorologia.

"The hydrological and meteorological scenarios are not at all favorable in the short and medium term. Despite improvements in parts of the state, some areas will remain under severe conditions for a very long time," the service said in a statement.

Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leyte stressed that the death toll could still rise significantly as rescue workers have yet to gain access to more affected regions.

Serious problems for business as well

Business was severely affected. 10 pork or poultry plants were completely or partially shut down.

Petroleum regulator ANP has temporarily reduced mandates for blending biofuels with petrol and diesel in the state as local supplies of ethanol and biodiesel have been affected. The Petrobras Canoas refinery still supplies fossil fuels.

Operations at Salgado Filho International Airport in the state capital of Porto Alegre, one of Brazil's busiest, were suspended indefinitely.

Railway operator Rumo said train services in the state were partially disrupted due to the extreme weather.