Eduardo Leite asks and Lula calls on ministries to help RS, hit by heavy rain

The governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke today, by phone, to discuss the federal government's aid for the state, once again hit by heavy rains. The conversation took place after a post by the governor of Rio Grande do Sul on the social network X, requesting support to rescue people stranded by the floods.

On the official profile of “X”, Leite wrote:

President @LulaOficial, please IMMEDIATELY send all possible air support to RS. We need to rescue hundreds of people NOW in dozens of municipalities who are in an emergency situation due to the intense rains that have already occurred and which will continue in the coming days.

— Eduardo Leite (@EduardoLeite_) April 30, 2024

About 30 minutes after posting, Lula said he had already asked ministry teams to provide assistance to the Rio Grande do Sul government.

I spoke on the phone with the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, @EduardoLeite_, and I made the federal government available to Rio Grande do Sul, which is once again suffering from heavy rains. I spoke with the Ministries of Integration, Defense and the Minister @Pimenta13Br and, where necessary,…

— Lula (@LulaOficial) April 30, 2024

Heavy rain in the south

To date, 77 cities have recorded damage and more than 40 state roads are partially or completely blocked after galleries burst or landslides. According to the latest bulletin from Rio Grande do Sul's Civil Defense, 198 people are in shelters, 95 are homeless and almost 4,000 have been affected. Therefore, the authorities ask that the population avoid traveling on the roads of Rio Grande do Sul due to possible new risks with the rains that are expected to continue until next Sunday (5).