Porto Alegre, Brazil’s southernmost state capital, is bracing for another round of heavy rainfall, which weather monitoring company MetSul warned on Monday will trigger a further surge in the Guaíba River’s water level. In the upcoming week, new floods are expected to affect the Arquipélago neighborhood; the predicted damage, however, will be significantly less than the devastation experienced in May – a month characterized by the city’s worst flood in recorded history.
According to MetSul’s analyst Estael Sias, the Guaíba River levels are set to hit a height of at least 2.5 meters, perilously close to the 3-meter flood level. The degree of siltation precipitated by the May floods could even provoke a more dramatic increase in the water level.
Simultaneously, state officials have issued a flood warning for the region surrounding the Sinos River, located approximately 80 kilometers away from the city of Porto Alegre. They also cautioned about geological risks in several areas, as ongoing rain spells have increased the likelihood of landslides. The public has been urged to abandon areas with a history of flooding and relocate to safer locations and has also been advised to stay informed about prevention measures through the city hall.
Over the weekend, the northern cities of the state saw high volumes of torrential rain, measured between 100 to 200 milliliters. As a result, landslides damaged several roads, and in the small city of Dom Pedro de Alcântara, a religious building collapsed, leaving two people injured.
A stark reminder of the significant economic impact of such calamities, the National Confederation of Commerce (CNC) revealed on Friday that the May floods had cost the retail sector an alarming BRL 3.3 billion (USD 610 million) in lost revenue. This represented close to a fifth of the predicted revenue for the said month. Additionally, the infrastructure damage and disruption in goods transportation to shops further augmented the crisis.
On a broader scale, the National Confederation of Municipalities (CNM) estimated that the economic damage due to flooding affected homes, businesses, infrastructure, and agricultural activities, amounting to losses of at least BRL 12.2 billion (USD 2.2 billion).
Following the floods, the Rio Grande do Sul authorities confirmed 176 deaths, with another 39 people still unaccounted for as of Friday’s update. Over 2.3 million individuals have been affected by the catastrophe, among whom 422,000 have been displaced and 10,700 continue to dwell in shelters.
