2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods

2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods

File:Porto Alegre inundada maio 2024.jpg Flooded area in Porto Alegre
Date	29 April 2024 (2024-04-29) – ongoing
Location	Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Deaths	90+
Non-fatal injuries	361+
Missing	132+

Since 27 April 2024, severe floods have affected the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil due to heavy rains and storms, resulting in dozens of fatalities, widespread landslides, and a dam collapse. It is considered the country's worst flooding in over 80 years.

The floods marked the fourth such environmental disaster in a solar year, following similar calamities that killed 75 people between July, September and November 2023.

Meteorological history

Satellite image of southern Brazil on 2 May

An atmospheric block, caused by a high-pressure system in Centro-Sul, prevented the displacement of typical meteorological systems (such as extratropical cyclones, cold fronts and troughs) that cause precipitation. In the areas where the anticyclone was active, temperatures were 5-10 °C higher than the record values recorded by the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET), since areas of instability were confined to the state of Rio Grande do Sul. On 22 April, the Civil Defense of Rio Grande do Sul issued a meteorological alert, later updated, warning of the risk of disruptions due to isolated storms and locally intense rains, which could cause flooding and power cuts. In the following days, the Civil Defense kept issuing alerts, along with forecasts for adverse weather conditions.

Heavy rain and strong winds started hitting the northern part of the state on 28 April; by the following day, they had spread to almost the entire state. Storms occurring between 28 April and 1 May were caused by a cold front associated with a low-pressure area over the sea, while also being influenced by a moisture flow coming from the north of the country. According to an INMET report, rainfall reached over six inches in some parts of Rio Grande do Sul in 24 hours on 30 April.

Impact

Victims

Across all regions of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, at least 90 people were killed, 361 others were injured, and 132 were left missing in the floods. At least 141,300 others were displaced from their homes, around 20,000 of whom are in shelters. AFP reported that two more people died in an explosion at a flooded gas station in Porto Alegre, where rescue crews were attempting to refuel their vehicles. The flooding was exacerbated by the partial collapse of the 14 de Julho hydroelectric dam located in the Das Antas River between the municipalities of Cotiporã and Bento Gonçalves, which left at least 30 people killed; four other dams across the state were also considered at risk of collapse. Another victim was reported in the nearby state of Santa Catarina, as one man died in the municipality of Ipira.

Other impacts

Over 500,000 people were left without power and clean water across Rio Grande do Sul, and flood damage occurred in 364 of the state's 497 municipalities, while many roads and bridges were destroyed and landslides occurred. Communication via internet and telephone services was also cut off by the floods in over 40 municipalities, with the three main providers having their services affected.

Entire cities in the Taquari River valley, such as Lajeado, Estrela, Muçum, Cruzeiro do Sul and Arroio do Meio, were made temporarily inaccessible by the effects of the floods. The banks of the local river in Gravataí were also considered to be at the edge of collapsing, as four of the city's treatment plants had to be closed momentarily.

In Porto Alegre, the Guaíba Lake rose up to 5,31 m, thus beating the previous record (4,76 m) set during the 1941 floods, as most areas of the city were flooded, with more than 60 streets becoming completely inaccessible and more than 10 being partially blocked; rescue workers used four-wheel-drive vehicles, boats and jet skis in order to maneuver through flooded streets in search of stranded and missing people.

Across almost all affected municipalities, classes were suspended, with 278 schools suffering damage and 36 being repurposed as shelters.

Aftermath

The floods were considered the worst to hit Brazil in over 80 years, and marked the fourth such environmental disaster in a solar year, as previous floods killed 75 people between July, September and November 2023.

Climatologist Francisco Eliseu Aquino told AFP that, while the region was already prone to extreme climate events caused by the collision of tropical and polar air masses, these events had "intensified" due to the effects of climate change, stating that the storms were the result of a "disastrous cocktail" of global warming and the El Niño climate phenomenon.

Reactions and humanitarian efforts

In the immediate aftermath of the floods, the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, said that the floods were an "absolutely unprecedented emergency", and "the worst climate disaster" the state had ever witnessed, even more so than the previous year's floods. On 1 May, the local government officially declared a 180-day long state of emergency. On 5 May, it was announced that the government had approved a R$117.7 million (US$21.84 million) worth package aimed to restore the state's infrastructures left damaged by the floods.

All the main transportation services in Porto Alegre, including the Salgado Filho International Airport, the Metro and local bus services, suspended their activities for an undetermined period.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited Rio Grande do Sul on 2 May, holding a public speech in Santa Maria. The Federal government of Brazil sent aircraft, boats, and more than 600 soldiers to help clear roads, distribute food, water, and mattresses, and set up shelters, while local volunteers also helped with search efforts. More than 1.100 soldiers from the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, as well as more than 2.000 between BMRS officers and firefighters, were reportedly involved in rescue operations across the state. National Force and Civil Defense members were also sent by the state governments of Bahia, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina and São Paulo. The National Army also installed a 40-bed field hospital in the municipality of Lajeado.

According to the Brazilian press, American singer Madonna, who performed a free concert in Copacabana Beach on 4 May as part of the Celebration Tour, secretly donated R$10 million (US$1.86 million) to the victims of the floods before leaving Rio de Janeiro. On 5 May, after delivering the Angelus Address in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City, Pope Francis expressed his solidarity to the victims of the floods; several other figures of the Brazilian Catholic Church commented on the disaster, including Archbishop of Porto Alegre and CNBB president, Jaime Spengler, as well as Archbishop of Santa Maria, Leomar Antônio Brustolin. Starting from 6 May, the Civil Defense hosted a charity campaign for food donations in São José do Rio Preto.

Mobilization of naval resources

On 6 May, the Brazilian Navy announced the dispatch of the largest warship in South America, the helicopter carrier NAM Atlantico, which would depart Rio de Janeiro and head to the coast of Rio Grande do Sul. Atlântico was expected to carry 200 Marine Corps officers, 40 vehicles and eight between medium and small vessels to help rescue stranded victims and transport supplies through flooded roads.

The Navy also mobilized the Oceanic Support Ship Mearim (G 150) and the Oceanic Patrol Ship Amazonas (P 120), with the latter carrying three small vessels. The two ships sailed to Rio Grande do Sul on 7 May. The following day, the Frigate Defensora (F 41) was also dispatched in order to transport donations and supplies.

International aid for humanitarian assistance

Argentina, Venezuela and Uruguay offered humanitarian help to Brazilian authorities.

On May 5, the government of Uruguay sent a Uruguayan Air Force Delfin Bell 212 helicopter and its crew to Brazil, as well as two drones and two rescue boats to assist in the rescues. A Lockheed Martin KC-130 plane from the FAU also left for Brazil with equipment and humanitarian aid.

On May 6, the Argentine government, led by Javier Milei, announced that they would send 20 Federal Police officers, divers from the Argentine Navy, as well as three helicopters and a C-130 cargo plane from the Argentine Air Force.