(Reuters) – An extratropical cyclone has been causing severe damage in southern Brazil, resulting in floods, swollen rivers, and the loss of nearly two dozen lives, according to state authorities on Tuesday.
Among those affected is Luana da Luz, who, like many other Brazilians, has had to evacuate her home to escape the rising waters.
“Since dawn, we noticed that the water levels were rising, and despite our attempts to protect our belongings by placing them on elevated surfaces, such as tables and wood stoves, our efforts were in vain,” said Da Luz, a resident of Passo Fundo, located in the southern state of Rio Grande Sul, where 21 fatalities have been confirmed by authorities.
In the neighboring state of Santa Catarina, one additional victim has been reported.
Video footage obtained by Reuters shows houses in Mucum submerged under the rising water, while streets and rivers are also heavily flooded.
A hailstorm has caused significant roof damage to dozens of homes, leaving hundreds of people in Rio Grande do Sul without communication.
The federal government of Brazil has implemented certain measures to respond to this disaster, and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has pledged that his government will do everything necessary to “rescue people from these difficulties.”
“I feel devastated. I lost everything,” expressed Dice Reginatto, a resident of Nova Bassano in Rio Grande do Sul. “There are many others who have lost even more, but I have nothing left in my own house.”
(Reporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Carolina Pulice; Editing by Brendan O’Boyle and Sandra Maler)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
