Southern Brazil continues to suffer from flooding as it is at risk of new storms

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (AP) — When major floods inundated entire cities in the northern part of Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state last week, meteorologist Estael Sias knew the water would flow into the metropolitan region of capital Porto Alegre and that they would should look for a safe place.

So she, her husband, three children and two dogs left everything behind. Less than 24 hours later, water began filling her neighborhood in Canoas, now one of the state’s hardest-hit cities.

“My house was flooded,” Sias recalled, her voice cracking. “And it was very difficult to leave my house, to leave my family.” She said she could protect her immediate family, but not others who insisted on staying. “It was very annoying and it still is. I don’t know what it will be like when I get home.”

Authorities in southern Brazil rushed Wednesday to rescue survivors of massive floods that have killed at least 100 people, but some residents refused to leave behind belongings while others returned to evacuated homes despite the risk of new storms.

Heavy rains and flooding in Rio Grande do Sul since last week have also left 130 people missing, authorities said. More than 230,000 people have been displaced and much of the region has been isolated by the floods.

Storms were expected across the state on Wednesday evening, with hail and wind gusts of up to 60 kilometers per hour (37 mph), according to the National Meteorology Institute’s afternoon bulletin. And the institute is predicting a cold front with additional rain this weekend, which will be especially intense in the north and east of the state.

In Porto Alegre, about 300 people took shelter at the local club Gremio Nautico Uniao, located in the chic, little-affected neighborhood of Moinhos de Vento. Dozens lay on mattresses as volunteers brought boxes of feijoada – a typical Brazilian stew of beans and pork.

Heitor da Silva was one of them, after heeded the warnings of the authorities. Still, he worries about his future.

“I only brought my documents, three shirts, two pairs of underwear and my slippers. Everything else is gone,” says da Silva (68). “I already had very little, but it stayed that way. When I go home, there’s nothing. Than what?”

Officials from the state’s civil protection agency told The Associated Press that they have struggled to convince residents of the town of Eldorado do Sul, one of the hardest hit by the floods, to leave their homes. It is located next to Porto Alegre, near the center of the state’s coastline. At least four people refused to evacuate.

A flyover of Eldorado do Sul in a military helicopter showed hundreds of houses underwater, with only the roofs visible. Residents used small boards, surfboards and personal watercraft to get around. Mayor Ernani de Freitas told local journalists that the city “will be completely evacuated.”

“The recovery will take at least a year,” he said.

Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite spoke at a news conference late Tuesday, calling on residents to stay out of harm’s way as the expected downpour could cause more serious flooding across the state.

“It is not the time to return home,” he said.

Civil Protection’s own urgent warning, asking displaced people not to return to flooded areas, also highlighted the risk of disease transmission.

Army Gen. Marcelo Zucco, one of the rescue operations coordinators, told the AP that his team is working at full speed ahead of heavy rains hitting the Porto Alegre region this weekend. Moderate rain fell in the city on Wednesday afternoon.

“We hope that the next rain showers won’t be like what we saw, but we can’t be sure that there won’t be problems ahead,” Zucco said.

“Right now, we are focusing on completing rescue operations and starting logistical support to the population. That means bringing water, medicine, food and transportation for the sick to a hospital,” the general added.

He also said that an improvement in conditions during the day allowed his men to finally reach some areas by land.

Unusually heavy rains have also flooded parts of Uruguay, causing rivers in the country’s east to burst their banks and causing nearly a thousand people to flee, authorities said. Rescue workers report that they have evacuated two hundred stranded people with the help of the army. There were no immediate reports of casualties, but the rescue service said flash flooding had damaged more than a dozen roads and left thousands of people without electricity.

Over the weekend, rain in northern Rio Grande do Sul could lead to renewed swelling of rivers that are already causing widespread flooding around the Patos Lagoon, where the Porto Alegre municipal region is located, said Sias, the meteorologist in Rio Grande do Sul. Sul, who works for a forecasting service based there.

“We will remain at this level of alert until at least the end of the month,” she said.

A report by the National Confederation of Municipalities estimates damage at 4.6 billion reais ($930 million) in almost 80% of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul.

Gov. Leite has said the enormous impact will require something akin to the Marshall Plan for Europe’s recovery after World War II. The state has already asked the federal government to suspend debt payments and establish a fund for the southern region.

On Tuesday, Congress approved a decree declaring a state of disaster in Rio Grande do Sul until the end of the year, allowing the federal government to quickly release funds to alleviate the catastrophe and rebuild regions hit by the floods, without circumventing a spending ceiling. The vote united supporters and opponents of the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

“There is no limit to the public expenditure needed to solve the problem of the disaster that is ravaging the state of Rio Grande do Sul today,” Minister of Planning and Budget Simone Tebet told Radio Gaucha in an interview.

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Sá Pessoa reported from Sao Paulo. AP video journalist Lucas Dumphreys contributed from Porto Alegre and writer Isabel DeBre from Buenos Aires.