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Rio Grande do Sul's civil defense authority said 68 people were
still missing and at least 24,000 had been displaced as the
storms affected more than half of the 497 cities in the state,
which borders Uruguay and Argentina.
"These numbers can still materially change over the following
days as we gain access to more regions", Rio Grande do Sul
Governor Eduardo Leite told reporters.
In several towns, streets essentially turned into rivers, with
roads and bridges destroyed. The storm also triggered landslides
and the partial collapse of a dam structure at a small
hydroelectric power plant.
A second dam in the city of Bento Goncalves is also at risk of
collapsing, authorities said, ordering people who live nearby to
evacuate.
In Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, the Guaiba
river broke its banks, and flooded streets blocked access to the
city's historic central neighborhoods.
The state is at a geographical meeting point between tropical
and polar atmospheres, which has created a weather pattern with
periods of intense rains and others of drought.
Local scientists believe the pattern has been intensifying due
to climate change.
Heavy rains had already hit Rio Grande do Sul last September, as
an extratropical cyclone caused floods that killed more than 50
people.
That came after more than two years of a persistent drought due
to the La Nina phenomenon, with only scarce showers.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva traveled to the state on
Thursday to visit affected locations and discuss rescue efforts
with the governor.
Back in Brasilia, Lula vowed on Friday that his government would
support local rescue and reconstruction efforts.
(Reporting by Fernando Cardoso in Sao Paulo, Lisandra Paraguassu
in Brasilia and Pedro Fonseca in Rio de Janeiro; writing by
Peter Frontini and Andre Romani; editing by Jonathan Oatis, Bill
Berkrot and Sandra Maler)
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