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Brazil floods leave 150,000 homeless, scores dead or missing

Rescuers hurried to leave individuals stranded by ravaging floods throughout the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul on Tuesday, with at least 90 dead, thousands left homeless, and desperate survivors seeking food and standard supplies.

On the outskirts of Eldorado do Sul, 17 kilometers (10.5. miles) from the state capital of Porto Alegre, many individuals were. sleeping on the roadside and informed they were going. hungry. Whole households were leaving on foot, bring. valuables in backpacks and shopping carts.

We have actually been without food for 3 days and we've only just. got this blanket. I'm with individuals I don't even know, I do not. understand where my household is, stated a boy who offered his name as. Ricardo Junior.

The flooding has actually obstructed rescue efforts, with lots of. people still waiting to be evacuated by boat or helicopter from. stricken homes. Small boats crisscrossed the flooded town. searching for survivors.

The state's Civil Defense company stated the death toll had. risen to 90 with another four deaths being examined, while. 131 individuals were still unaccounted for and 155,000 homeless.

The heavy rains that started last week have triggered rivers. to flood, inundating whole towns and damaging roads and. bridges.

Rain is anticipated to let up on Thursday but then continue. through the weekend.

Climate experts attributed the severe rains in Rio. Grande do Sul to the confluence of a heatwave brought on by this. year's El Niño phenomenon, which warms the waters of the Pacific. and brings rain to southern Brazil; a weaker cold front with. rain and gales originating from the Antarctic; and unusual heat in. the Atlantic likewise raising humidity.

Global warming worsens these phenomena and. intensifies the impacts between such systems, making weather. unpredictable, said Marcelo Schneider, a National Meteorology. Institute (Inmet) scientist.

ELECTRICAL ENERGY CUTS

In Porto Alegre, a city of 1.3 million residents, downtown. streets were under water after the Guaiba River breached its. banks with record water levels.

Porto Alegre locals faced empty supermarket racks and. closed filling station, with shops rationing sales of mineral. water. The city dispersed water in trucks to health centers and. shelters.

The floods have likewise affected water and electricity. services, with more than 1.4 million impacted in general, according. to Civil Defense.

Nearly half a million people were without power in Porto. Alegre and outlying towns as electricity companies cut off. products for security reasons in flooded communities. National. grid operator ONS said 5 hydroelectric dams and transmission. lines were shut down due to the heavy rains.

The city's airport, its apron under water, has actually suspended all. flights considering that Friday.

Fuel scarcities were reported as state-run oil company. Petrobras stated it was having problem moving diesel from its. refinery in badly-flooded Canoas within urbane Porto. Alegre, a senior federal government authorities stated.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on a federal government. television program that the level of the damage will not be. understood till the waters decrease. He promised federal help for the. state in what is considered its worst ever climate catastrophe.

JP Morgan economic experts predicted that the impact of the floods. on Brazil's economy would be a modest dent in GDP growth and a. limited increase in inflation, primarily due to greater costs for. rice that is largely produced in Rio Grande do Sul. The. government stated Brazil will import rice to support the marketplace.

Destroying important facilities, the heavy rains. and flooding have actually left grains fields under water and killed. livestock, disrupting the soy harvest and stopping work at. multiple meat plants.

The Rio Grande port, a major port for grain exports, was. running usually, the state's port authority stated.. primary gain access to roadways were blockaded, interrupting grain deliveries. to the port as trucks had to make a large detour, exporters stated.

(source: Reuters)