International News: Floods in Brazil claims 90 lives; dozens still stranded

By Zoila Palma Gonzalez: Today, emergency responders raced to evacuate residents stranded by catastrophic floods across the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.

According to officials, 90 people have lost their lives and desperate survivors are clamoring for food and essential provisions.

In the outskirts of Eldorado do Sul, situated 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) from the state capital of Porto Alegre, numerous evacuees, forced from their residences, found themselves sleeping along the roadside, recounting tales of hunger to Reuters.

Families, laden with their belongings in backpacks and makeshift carts, embarked on foot, seeking refuge.

The state’s Civil Defense agency reported the death toll climbing to 90, with an additional four fatalities under investigation.

Moreover, 131 individuals remain unaccounted for, while a staggering 155,000 find themselves displaced.

Heavy rainfall since last week has caused rivers to flood, submerging entire communities.

In Porto Alegre, home to 1.3 million residents along the Guaiba river, downtown streets lay submerged.

The inundations have disrupted water and power utilities, affecting over 1.4 million individuals nationwide, per Brazil’s Civil Defense.

Nearly half a million in Porto Alegre and its environs grappled with power outages as electric providers severed supplies in flood-hit areas for safety reasons.

The National grid operator ONS reported closures of five hydroelectric dams and transmission lines due to the deluge.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva acknowledged that the full extent of the devastation remains uncertain until floodwaters recede.

He pledged federal assistance for the state in what has been labeled its most severe weather calamity to date.

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