The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) sent two helicopters, on Tuesday night (30), to assist in rescuing those affected by floods in the region of Santa Maria, in Rio Grande do Sul. The state has already recorded ten deaths due to the heavy rains, and 21 people are still missing.
The FAB placed two H-60 ​​Black Hawk helicopters, from the Fifth Squadron of the Eighth Aviation Group (5th/8th GAV), based at the Santa Maria Air Base (BASM), available for searches. The operation relies on the aid of night vision goggles (NVG) due to the weather conditions.
In one of the support actions, FAB rescued a family that was stranded in a house at risk of collapsing. The residents were lifted and transported from the Candelária region to Santa Cruz. See images below .
According to the latest bulletin released by the State Civil Defense, ten people died as a result of the rain.
According to the National Civil Defense report, 11 people were injured and 21 are still missing.
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To date, more than 19 thousand people have been affected by the storms in 103 municipalities; more than a thousand people are homeless and 1,130 have been displaced.
The government of Rio Grande do Sul established a crisis office due to the rains. According to the state, the focus of support teams at the moment is rescuing families who are isolated by floods.
Governor Eduardo Leite (PSDB) ordered the intensification of efforts to rescue stranded families, with special attention to the municipality of Candelária, which is in a critical condition, according to Civil Defense. In addition to the FAB, planes from the Military Brigade and the Civil Police will also perform rescue operations.
According to the projection of the Situation Room, linked to the Secretariat of the Environment (Sema), the Caà and Taquari valleys are already facing a severe situation, with the risk of flooding at the same level as that which occurred in November last year, when the Rio Grande do Sul faced one of the biggest floods in history, which left around 50 people dead.
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The forecast is that the volume of rainfall will remain high, reaching up to 300 millimeters in some areas. All monitored rivers have levels above alert limits. In the coming days, the concern will extend to municipalities in the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre, including the JacuÃ, GuaÃba and Sinos rivers, which may also overflow.
Source: CNN Brasil
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