The governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, stated this Wednesday (1st) that the destruction of the rains that hit the state already portends the “biggest disaster in the history” of Rio Grande do Sul in terms of material damage. According to Leite, the situation is “worse” than last year, when floods caused more than 50 deaths and extensive material damage. 
“Unfortunately, this will be the biggest disaster our state has ever faced. Unfortunately, it will be bigger than what we saw last year”, declared the governor during the press conference held earlier in the evening, in Porto Alegre.
According to a report from the state Civil Defense, the storms have already caused ten deaths and left at least 11 people injured. At least 21 people are missing. Around 19,100 people were affected across the state. Of these, 3,416 had to leave their homes and seek shelter in the homes of relatives, friends or in accommodation. Another 1,072 who had nowhere to go are staying in public shelters. To date, 114 city halls have reported to the state government that they were in some way affected by flooding, river overflows, landslides or other consequences of the situation.
“We are living in a very critical moment in the state,” said Leite before using terms such as “war” and “chaos” to classify the situation. According to the governor, landslides are occurring in much of the state and dams are being monitored, although, so far, there is no evidence of a risk of these structures breaking.
Risk areas
“We are having a lot of difficulty in rescuing. Therefore, we need the population to be as safe as possible. People sometimes think that water will not reach their homes, but we are warning that [principalmente] where it has already arrived in the past, it must arrive again this time”, emphasized the governor when asking people to leave risk areas and be aware of the possibility of landslides and river overflows.
During the press conference, the governor presented a preliminary list of cities that, until this afternoon, were at risk of being affected by floods: Agudo, Alegrete, Arroio do Meio., Bom Princípio, Bom Retiro do Sul, Cachoeira do Sul, Campo Bom, Candelária, Canudos do Vale, Cerro Branco, Colinas, Cruzeiro do Sul, Encantado, Estrela, Faxinal do Soturno, Feliz, Forquetinha, General Câmara, Harmonia, Igrejinha, Ivorá, Jaguari, Lajeado, Marques de Souza, Montenegro, Muçum, Nova Palma , Novo Cabrais, Novo Hamburgo, Paraíso do Sul.
“We ask people [que vivem em áreas de risco ou que identifiquem algum risco] protect yourself by leaving your homes and going to safe places, not exposed to risk [de cheia] rivers, and taking care with slopes that, due to waterlogging [do solo]tend to suffer landslides”, warned the governor.
Leite reported today’s conversation with the President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is scheduled to visit the state this Thursday (2). “More than the support of the federal government and the Armed Forces, I asked for the effective participation and leadership of those who have training for a situation of chaos and war like the one we are facing in the state. [Estes] These are problems that require special qualifications, training and equipment to carry out rescue operations. Therefore, I have appealed to the federal government to have not only the support – which is being offered – but also the effective leadership and coordination of this process, as I do not have ascendancy over the Armed Forces to provide the necessary articulation and organization”, he mentioned. Milk.
According to the Ministry of Defense, since yesterday (30), 335 soldiers from the Air Force, Army and Navy have been mobilized to support the population of Rio Grande do Sul. Twelve vessels, five helicopters and 43 vehicles, in addition to equipment for transporting material and personnel, are being used. Federation units, such as São Paulo and Santa Catarina, also offered help to the government of Rio Grande do Sul.
On social media, Lula publicized his conversation with the governor, when he mentioned his trip to the state and that eight Armed Forces helicopters are ready to support rescue efforts for stranded families, but are unable to take off due to the weather in the state.
Unified Contest
Leite anticipated that he will ask the federal government for a solution to avoid losses to the gauchos registered in the Unified National Public Competition, which will be held next Sunday (5).
“We are going to recommend to the federal government that, in some way, this situation be overcome. The competition has become completely unfeasible in the next few days for the population of Rio Grande do Sul. We are going to request that some type of solution be forwarded for the Unified National Competition, but I am not in a position to evaluate which, at this moment. What I have is the confidence that some type of solution will be given to the federal government so as not to punish the population of Rio Grande do Sul who will have restrictions at this time”.
The ministry, which organized the event, reported this Wednesday (1st) that it is monitoring the situation in Rio Grande do Sul for the implementation of the tests and “any necessary logistical changes in cities affected by rain will be announced”.
