Maps show roadblocks and flooded areas in RS

Amidst the scenario caused by heavy rains and floods in Rio Grande do Sul, interactive maps have been made available with information about the climate tragedy. The objective is to guide the population of Rio Grande do Sul about road conditions and also about flood locations, for example.

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Information for the affected population

One of the maps is being made available by Google. It uses artificial intelligence to show flooded locations, as well as news and other information about the situation in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Searches for “Rio Grande do Sul Flood” in the search engine are presenting essential data, such as a clipping from Google Maps that indicates the locations of floods in the state. Weather alerts are still available.

Part of this information comes from Flood Hub, a Google platform for monitoring river levels and riverine flooding. The resource uses AI to track data from local authorities, such as the Brazilian Geological Survey (SGB). When accessing the service (sites.research.google/floods), it is possible to monitor river levels, with the help of colored pins to inform the stages of danger.

Another map was released by the Rio Grande do Sul government itself and shows the conditions of the highways, many of which were completely destroyed by the force of the waters. The mapping informs about the roads that are totally or partially blocked and closed in the region.

The information is updated by the Autonomous Department of Highways (Daer), based on data provided by the Federal Highway Police and the state’s Military Brigade Highway Command (CRBM), also covering highways granted to the private sector and those managed by Empresa Gaúcha of Highways (EGR).

According to the latest assessment, 95 sections of 41 highways had total and partial closures, including roads and bridges. The information is from Agência Brasil.

Climate tragedy in Rio Grande do Sul

• According to the most recent Civil Defense report, the number of deaths confirmed by the heavy rains and floods that hit the state of Rio Grande do Sul has reached 100.
• There are 128 people missing, more than 163,000 homeless and almost 67,000 in shelters.
• The climate tragedy caused severe impacts in 417 of the 497 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul, directly affecting almost one and a half million people.
• Lake Guaíba reached the highest level in history, exceeding 5 meters and 30 centimeters.
• The floods almost completely paralyzed the water and electricity supply in Porto Alegre and other cities.
• Furthermore, hundreds of people remain stranded and rescues are taking place 24 hours a day.
• Most of them are being carried out by civilians who have taken risks with boats, speedboats and jet skis.
• One of the points that remains completely flooded is Salgado Filho International Airport, which announced the suspension of all operations until May 30th.
• Blocked roads still make it difficult to leave and enter the city.
• The big fear now is the arrival of the cold this Wednesday (08).
• More rain is also forecast in the POA metropolitan region.
• In 2023, a series of climate disasters caused real devastation in Rio Grande do Sul.
• 16 deaths were recorded in June, 54 in September and another 5 in November.