One disaster after another. Brazilian authorities are preparing for further heavy rains in the south of the country, with the possibility of strong winds and hail, three days after the passage of a devastating cyclone which left at least 39 dead. The government of Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost of Brazil’s 27 states, bordering Uruguay, announced in a press release that it expected unstable weather in the coming hours due to the approach of “a front cold “.
Rio Grande do Sul was hit at the beginning of the week by the passage of a cyclone, accompanied by torrential rains and violent winds, which caused enormous damage. Many localities were literally submerged due to the floods, and the authorities on Thursday reassessed the human toll upwards to 39 deaths. Nine people are still missing. More than 80 municipalities suffered damage and more than 6,300 people were forced to leave their homes. More than 62,000 people were affected.
A terrain conducive to extreme events
Brazil frequently experiences extreme events, and scientists link them to the effects of climate change. In June, a cyclone killed at least 13 people in the same state of Rio Grande do Sul.
Last February, 65 people were killed by landslides caused by record rains that hit Sao Sebastiao, a resort town about 200 km from Sao Paulo in the southeast of the country.