One person died in São Leopoldo (RS) after the passage of a cyclone that affected the southern region of the country on Thursday (15) and early hours of Friday (16). The information was confirmed by Governor Eduardo Leite in a live broadcast on social networks.
According to the governor, death was caused by an electric shock. So far, two people are missing and 625 have been rescued. Leite stressed the importance of taking care of human lives at this time.
He emphasized: “Take care of yourselves and take care of your families. This will all pass. We want this to pass without further loss of human life. Unfortunately, we already have a confirmed death, but now is the time to protect lives. As for material damage, we will deal with that later.”
The governor informed that more than a thousand people, including the military brigade, the fire department and civil defense, are working to guarantee the safety of the population throughout the state. He stated: “Our teams are mobilized to provide assistance and support to the communities most affected by the heavy rains, especially in the northeast region of RS.”
In the municipality of Maquiné, the level of the Maquiné River rose rapidly, leaving some people stranded at certain points. In Caraá, the level of the Jacuí River also rose, causing several disturbances. The state government reported that a team is trying to access the city to provide support. Civil defense is working together with the Fire Department’s Environmental Command, which has vessels.
In case of risk of flooding, the civil defense guidelines are as follows:
- Avoid moving to affected regions.
- Stay at home if it’s safe.
- If you live in a risk area, leave the area.
- Separate important documents and pack them in plastic bags.
- Avoid crossing the waters by car or on foot.
- If you are isolated in an unsafe location, call the emergency number 193 immediately.
Colonel Luciano Chaves Boeira warned: “Right now, the level of the rivers in the region is dropping, but with the possibility of rain, it tends to rise again. Stay tuned for municipal and state civil defense guidelines, which will issue warnings and alerts throughout the day. Do not return to your homes. Although the situation is under control at this point, there is still a risk of river levels rising again.”
In the capital, Porto Alegre, there were storms in different regions. The city hall informed that it mobilized teams since the early hours of Friday (16) to deal with the damage caused by rain and wind in the last few hours. Most occurrences are related to fallen trees, overturned wires or power poles, accumulation of water in several roads, collapsed walls and compromised homes.
