In an interview with CNN, this Wednesday (1st), the governor of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, recognized the extent of the tragedy in the state after strong storms this week. “Unfortunately, these numbers will increase,” said Leite about the death toll.
According to the latest bulletin released by the State Civil Defense, at least eight people died and another 21 are missing. The governor reports that the data is preliminary and the bodies involved in the rescues have not yet been able to reach all municipalities. “We are not even able to access certain locations where we know there are hundreds of people who are isolated.”
According to Civil Defense, 19,110 were affected by the rains. There are 1,145 people in shelters, 1,431 homeless and 104 municipalities punished.
The governor explains that the biggest objective now is to save lives. “Right now, the focus is on rescuing people. Then we will move on to the moment of reconstruction. The rain has not let up, which limits operational capacity in these municipalities,” he told CNN.
The state of Rio Grande do Sul is counting on the support of Civil Defense agents from São Paulo and Santa Catarina and recognizes the solidarity of neighboring governments. “We have this integration between the states of the South and Southeast. All governors have already activated their teams.”
“At this moment, we have stocks of food, basic food baskets and roof tiles, but naturally all solidarity is welcome and we will set in motion ways for the population to do this safely”, said Leite about possible donations.
The governor also recalls the history of tragedies in the state. In June 2023, storms hit the north coast of Rio Grande do Sul. A few months later, in September, the tragedy repeated itself, this time in the Vale do Taquari region, with more than 50 deaths. The chaos scenario was renewed in November and then in January 2024, when a storm caused major disruption in Porto Alegre. “There are companies that already lost everything last year, were recovering, and were affected again.”
*Published by Duda Cambraia. With information from Basilia Rodrigues.
Source: CNN Brasil
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