Satellite images, obtained by g1show how the city of Porto Alegre looked in an interval of 25 days (look above). In aerial images you can see the volume of water accumulated in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul after the greatest climate tragedy in the state’s history.
To the side (on the right) appears the current scenario, in a recording captured at 10 am this Monday (6). The image shows an increase in the space where the Guaíba River is located and more brown spaces, with accumulation of water, throughout the city.
The records were made with the Planet Scope satellite by the Satellite Image Processing Laboratory (Lapis) at the Federal University of Alagoas (Ufal) with 3 meters of spatial resolution.
Already images from Pal Planet (look above) show the capital of Rio Grande do Sul in an interval of 48 days: on March 18 (to the left) and May 5 (on the right). The company was only able to record the current situation in Porto Alegre after the weather cleared — it is possible to see clouds in the most recent record.
Other aerial images, captured by the Amazonia 1 satelliteshow a scaled view of the before It is after of the biggest tragedy in Rio Grande do Sul. The equipment that recorded the images is operated by the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe).
With the state covered by clouds since April 29, ground observation work has been hampered and the images extracted were the exceptions available during the period. They show three specific points of the state: Porto Alegre, Taquari Valley It is basin of the Soturno, Jacuí and Jacuizinho rivers.
Satellite images show before and after the biggest flood in history in RS
Before and after in Porto Alegre
Before and after in Vale do Taquari
Before and after on the Soturno, Jacuí and Jacuizinho rivers
What happened in the Vale do Taquari region
The cities of the Valley were built on the banks of rivers, called floodplains by geologists. In other words, they are naturally flooded when the river level rises. Last year, for example, when a cyclone hit the state, the region was also the most affected.
What happened in the region where the Soturno, Jacuí and Jacuizinho rivers are located?
The image above shows the before and after, between April 20th and May 5th. With the volume of rainwater unabated for at least a week, the course of the river was completely altered, advancing over the cities.
In the image, you can see the Soturno, Jacuí and Jacuizinho rivers. The volume of water caused river levels to rise. Online, the flood invaded nearby cities. In cities, families were isolated by the floods. Among the dozens of deaths, three occurred in the region in the cities of São João do Polesine, Silveira Martins and Pinhal Grande.
Venâncio Aires is taken by the flood of the Taquari river
The rain that hits Rio Grande do Sul is the biggest climate disaster in the state’s history, surpassing a major flood that occurred in the 1940s.
According to meteorologists, this time the volume of rain is greater because it persisted for more days – about a week under rain. Cemaden estimates that almost 700 millimeters were recorded in some parts of the state.
To date, the floods have left more than 80 people dead, but more than 100 are still missing. Residents report people being swallowed by the force of the water, but with the volume still high, searches for bodies should only take place when the volumes drop.
Civil Defense estimates that the floods affected around 800,000 people, including the capital, Porto Alegre. The city is underwater in several places. Some points, such as the bus station and the municipal market, can only be seen from above, because they were taken over.
Since Sunday, the rain has stopped in the region. However, the water that is already high should take up to four days to recede. A point of attention for experts is that on Wednesday (7) new storms are forecast.
