In São Leopoldo, the level of the Rio dos Sinos reached 7.10m at 7:20 am this Friday (3). It is the highest level of elevation in the history of the river, surpassing the floods of 1941 and 1965, when there were no flood protection dikes. The measurement was carried out at Régua da Rua da Praia by Civil Defense and the river has an average elevation of 6 to 7 cm per hour at this time. At 2am, the river level was 6.74m, surpassing the historic flood mark of 2013, when it registered 6.68m. At 3am, it reached 6.80m.
The Rio dos Sinos – like all river basins in the State – received a volume of water above the average flow capacity, resulting in an abrupt increase in its level, still fed by its streams and tributaries.
Mayor Ary Vanazzi called government departments and bodies in the early hours of this Friday with the purpose of taking security measures and opening the Celso Morbach Municipal Gymnasium on an emergency basis for residents of the Vicentina, São Miguel and Vila Brás neighborhoods, as the dikes are in the alert quota.
According to city hall geologist Antônio Ogeski, who helped the Germans in the construction of the containment dikes on the Rio dos Sinos and works on their maintenance, the volume of water dammed in the Guaíba and the amount of water it is receiving from its tributaries in the basin, It is damaging the flow of the Rio dos Sinos. “We are not talking about a breach (of the dike), but rather an alert. The dike is at the alert level and as the Guaíba is full, it is causing more harm to the Sinos,” he said.
Task Force assists in the removal of residents
The Task Force teams created by São Leopoldo City Hall have been working tirelessly over the last 72 hours to assist in the removal of families affected by the large volume of rain recorded since the afternoon of Saturday, April 27th, which caused unprecedented flooding in Rio dos Bells.
During this Thursday and the early hours of Friday (3), with the constant rise in the level of the Rio dos Sinos, the evacuation of families in several locations intensified even further, mainly in communities close to the flood sites.
The Task Force works on different fronts to assist in the removal of families from the São Geraldo subdivision, Feitoria neighborhood, one of the most affected locations, mainly on the streets Alberto Ramos, Otto Daudt, Carlos Bier, Frederico Meier, Pottenstein and Beco da Eugenio Emilio Diaz , in addition to residents of Santos Dumont, Vicentina, Paim, Campina, Pinheiro, Jardim Fênix and Chácara dos Leões in Brás.
To remove people, teams are using all available resources, including boats to reach difficult-to-access places. In São Geraldo, there were also many requests to turn off electricity in homes and cases of families who had never left their homes during previous floods.
More than 400 homeless
According to the Secretariat of Social Assistance (SAS), to date more than 400 homeless people are in 4 shelters organized by the Secretariat of Social Assistance (SAS): Santo Inácio de Loyola Parish, Rio dos Sinos neighborhood, Padre Arturo Spirituality Center (Cepa ), Arroio da Manteiga, Association of Boys and Girls of Progress (Ammep), Santos Dumont and CTG Candeeiro, São Geraldo neighborhood.
Avenida Imperatriz with interrupted traffic
The Municipal Civil Guard (GCM) had to block vehicle traffic from Avenida Imperatriz towards the center of the neighborhood on Thursday night, due to flooding of the road, as the waters of the Rio dos Sinos reached Parque Imperatriz and surrounding areas. The recommendation for drivers traveling from the East Zone is to use Feitoria Avenue.
Emergency
The Civil Defense of São Leopoldo works on-call and responds by telephone (51) 99117-8291 and (51) 98924-7852.
The São Leopoldo Fire Department can be reached by calling 193 or (51) 3579-0450.
In any situation of damage caused by unstable weather, the population can seek assistance through our official communication channels.
In case of gusts of wind, do not take shelter under trees, as there is a risk of falling and electrical discharges, and do not park vehicles near transmission towers and advertising signs. If possible, turn off electrical appliances and the general power supply.
