Flood of the Uruguay River floods municipalities in the northwest of Rio Grande do Sul

The flood of the Uruguay River, which separates Brazil from Argentina, flooded municipalities in the northwest of Rio Grande do Sul. An alert from the Civil Defense informed that the rise of this river occurs from Porto Mauá, in the municipality of Porto Xavier (RS ).

According to farmer Elder Schropfer, 41 years old, resident of Porto Xavier, the water level has stabilized, despite having flooded part of the city.

“Today we have many homeless people. Thank God the municipality is made up of very good people and they help each other and we were able to remove these people in time to preserve each person’s life”, he reported.

Flooding of the Uruguay River floods municipalities in the northwest of RS. Access Argentina Brazil closed due to flooding – Elder Schropfer/Disclosure

Schropfer also added that several rural communities are isolated due to road closures caused by the rain. “Porto Xavier is driven at this time by the import of onions from Argentina. [A chuva] It also hurts because the onion is stopped on the other side, in Argentina”, he lamented.

According to a bulletin from the Geological Survey of Brazil (SGB) released this Sunday (5), the Uruguay River reached 10 meters above the normal level in Porto Xavier, but the water is already in the process of declining. The bulletin recorded flooding in eight other regions bathed by the river, with the most critical situation in the Garruchos, Alto Uruguai and Porto Lucena measuring stations.

See aerial images of Porto Xavier:

Civil defense

The number of people killed by the heavy rains that hit Rio Grande do Sul reached 66, according to the latest Civil Defense bulletin released at 9am this Sunday (5). Another six deaths are still under investigation and 155 people are injured. There are still 101 missing.

The number of deaths surpassed the state’s last environmental catastrophe, in September 2023, when 54 people lost their lives. Authorities say this month’s floods constitute the worst climate disaster in Rio Grande do Sul’s history.

The rains also forced 95,700 people to abandon their homes, including 80,500 displaced people and 15,100 homeless people. In total, the floods have already affected 707,100 people in the state. Of the 497 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul, 332 were affected by heavy rains, which represents 66% of the total.

On Saturday night (4), governor Eduardo Leite, and ministers Paulo Pimenta (Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency) and Waldez Góes (Integration and Regional Development) stated that the governments’ joint efforts are focused on rescuing as many people as possible. . As of yesterday, more than 10,000 rescues had been carried out.

The state government asks for donations. The most necessary items are mattresses, bedding, bathing suits, blankets, drinking water, animal feed and basic food baskets, preferably closed, to facilitate transport. Find out how to donate.