Huge floods in Brazil’s south are a harbinger of disasters to come
Climate change is making weather events more extreme in the region
Torrential rains have been battering the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul for almost three weeks. On May 2nd eight of the world’s ten rainiest cities were in the state. At least 150 people have died and 130 are missing. Six hundred thousand people have been made homeless. Many have no drinking water or electricity. “It’s like a war zone,” says Bruna Travi, a volunteer in Porto Alegre, the state capital. Civilians are using fishing boats and jet-skis to pull survivors out of the filthy water and bring them to shelters, which are largely supported by donations.
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This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “Hard rain”
From the May 18th 2024 edition
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