Rains in RS: 85 thousand people are allowed to return home to Pelotas

The City of Pelotas, in the south of Rio Grande do Sul, authorized this Tuesday (14) for around 85 thousand people to return home in regions still affected by the floods in the city. According to the municipal administration, around eight neighborhoods that were at risk have returned to a state of alert, which allows conditions for return, but still with caution.

“People can go home [nessas áreas]but not with the idea that life will return to normal, taking all the furniture… because it is very likely that next week we will need to call people again to evacuate these areas”, declared the city's mayor, Paula Mascarenhas (PSDB), via social media.

According to studies carried out by researchers from the University of Pelotas (UFPel), there has been an improvement in the region's meteorological conditions with the end of the rain and the winds going in the opposite direction, which has pushed the water from Lagoa dos Patos, which surrounds the city, to another coast, causing the level of the São Gonçalo Channel to decrease.

According to the city hall, around 15 thousand people who live in the areas closest to the Canal are still at risk and should not return home.

The municipal administration warned that a forecast of new rain and a decrease in wind between Thursday (16) and Friday (17) could cause the water to return, causing the Lagoa's level to rise again. “The water in Guaíba will still reach Pelotas again next week,” said Mascarenhas.

Despite the positive scenario, experts in meteorology and hydrology affirm the need to maintain a state of alert. According to monitoring of the situation in the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre, the prospect is that a new increase in levels will later reach the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul.

According to the latest update from city hall, the São Gonçalo Canal is at 2.76 meters and continues to fluctuate.



Source: CNN Brasil

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