Brazil uses drones in rescue efforts after floods kill 95 people and displace 200,000

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Rescuers tried Wednesday to reach people cut off by record-breaking floods in southern Brazil that have killed at least 95 people and displaced more than 200,000, as more rain would further hamper relief efforts.

Firefighters, civil protection units and the army struggled to reach those stranded by water in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, some of whom were trapped on the roofs of buildings for days.

The historic flooding followed a deluge of rainfall in recent days, which some scientists have linked to climate change. One monitoring station in Porto Alegre, the state capital, recorded almost 260 mm in three days – equivalent to about two months’ average rainfall.

The Brazilian Air Force has deployed Israeli-designed Hermes 900 reconnaissance drones, equipped with high-definition cameras and sensors, operating alongside helicopter teams to locate and rescue victims.

Volunteers have joined the effort, including people trying to use surfboards and jet skis to reach people in need of help.

Porto Alegre, home to 1.3 million people, is one of the hardest hit after the Guaíba River burst its banks and flooded the city. The river’s highest point reached 5.3 meters, far above a previous record of 4.76 meters in 1941.

State Governor Eduardo Leite has called for an aid program similar to the Marshall Plan that followed World War II to repair the damage, which he said would only become visible once the waters receded.

He warned of further bad weather on Tuesday, with a mass of cold air expected to bring more heavy rain and send temperatures falling sharply.

“It is already the worst climate disaster in our state, and we must prevent the loss of life right now,” he said last week.

In the past week, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva twice visited the state – home to 11 million people – and promised federal aid to rebuild roads and bridges.

According to the National Confederation of Municipalities, economic damage so far is estimated at around $1 billion. Rio Grande do Sul is Brazil’s fifth largest state economy and is a major producer of agricultural products and a center for industry.

The state is responsible for 70 percent of national rice production, of which 10 percent is expected to be lost due to the floods. Thirty percent of the state’s 21 million tons of soybean crop is also expected to be lost. Lula has said Brazil will import rice and beans from abroad to avoid food shortages.

The disaster is the fourth such event to rock the state in the past year, following severe flooding in July, September and November that killed dozens of people.

Grim images from the disaster area have sparked a donation campaign in Brazil and beyond. On Tuesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company would support the relief efforts.

Pedro Luiz Cortês, a professor of environmental sciences at the University of São Paulo, said the disaster was linked to climate change.

A high-pressure zone in central Brazil was caused by abnormal warming of the Atlantic Ocean, he said. This blocked the cold fronts in the south of the country and diverted maritime humidity southwards.

“Rio Grande do Sul is hit by three events that fuel the rain: the cold fronts, the humidity coming from the Atlantic Ocean and the high-pressure dome,” he said. “These rainfalls were caused by this meteorological phenomenon caused by climate change, because this warming of the Atlantic Ocean is not normal for this time of year.”

The state and federal governments were ill-prepared for such climate crises, he added.

Additional reporting by Beatriz Langella