Experts warn that the floods in Brazil will take weeks to pass

Experts warn that weeks of catastrophic flooding may be ahead for Brazil’s southernmost state capital, exacerbating the situation for the half a million residents who have been forced to flee their flooded homes.

According to the national weather office INMET, parts of Rio Grande do Sul state have already received more rain this month than London receives on average in a year—more than 630 mm, or 25 inches.

This week, Lake Guaiba’s waters have risen to 5.22 meters (17.13 feet), which is close to the all-time high of 5.33 meters set last week and much over the flood level of 3.0 meters. Last week, the waters broke their banks and flooded the state capital, Porto Alegre.

If it rains again, according to meteorologists and engineers at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), water levels may stabilize or continue to rise. On the basis of past comparisons, they estimated that it might take a month until the water recedes below flood levels.

At least 148 people have died and 124 are still unaccounted for as a result of the floods that have destroyed dozens of communities inland from Porto Alegre, where the downtown area is still under water.

According to state officials, more over 267,000 homes are without electricity, and 159,000 residents do not have access to water.

Based on the last biggest flood in 1941, which reached 4.76 meters, the UFRGS Institute of Hydraulic Research (IP) initially predicted that it would take 35 days for the water to return to normal levels. Upstream tributaries should stabilize before then.

IPH Professor Rodrigo Paiva stated that Lake Guaiba should gradually drop to below flood levels in a few weeks or possibly by mid-June, but he noted that it will depend on the next weather.

“If it rains more, that might be postponed. We didn’t have the rebound we do now in 1941, according to Fernando Fan, an IPH hydrologist.

The Guaiba water level has risen due to recent renewed rainfall, prompting authorities to issue a warning to locals not to return to areas that are at risk.

The locals are attentively monitoring the water level on the roadside as they sought high ground outside the submerged fishing hamlet of Paquetá, 25 km north of Porto Alegre.

The Guaiba water level has risen due to recent renewed rainfall, prompting authorities to issue a warning to locals not to return to areas that are at risk.

The locals are attentively monitoring the water level on the roadside as they sought high ground outside the submerged fishing hamlet of Paquetá, 25 km north of Porto Alegre.

A broken dike inundated the area outside Porto Alegre on May 1, following two days of heavy rain. As of Tuesday, all that is visible is the village’s rooftops.

“We are holding out for it to collapse. It was beginning to fall, which made us delighted, but it is now rising once more. At least two months will pass,” Cristiano Pastoriza stated.

According to Moacir Lopes, the fish won’t come back until the river resumes its regular flow.
“It will take two or three months for me to return. This filthy water needs to be emptied. The fish will return when the fresh water arrives,” he stated.

The fishermen utilized their boats to save the lives of people living in the nearby community of Canoas, which was heavily inundated.

“When I saw people on the roofs, little children, I cried, it broke my heart,” said the man.