Porto Alegre: A group raced against the clock on Thursday to help flooded communities in southern Brazil.
About 400 municipalities were affected by the worst natural disaster to hit the state of Rio Grande do Sul, killing at least 107 people and injuring hundreds.
More than 164,000 people were displaced from their homes in the country’s capital, Porto Alegre, a city of about 1.4 million people, and in hundreds of other towns and cities.
Many in the area do not have telephones and internet, water or electricity, or even equipment to call for help.
A total of 134 people are reported missing and nearly 1.7 million people have been affected by the floods, which experts attribute to climate change.
Rescuers in boats and helicopters searched streets turned into rivers on Thursday, looking for people trapped in their homes or unwilling to leave for fear of looting.
In Canoas, a city outside the country’s capital, a horse was pulled from the roof by rescuers, according to local media reports.
The country’s Guaiba River, which runs through Porto Alegre, reached historic levels this week and officials have warned that five dams are at risk of bursting.
Sabrina Ribas, spokeswoman for the Civil Defense Disaster Response Force, told reporters: “The main focus is the rescue operation…
These efforts may be hampered in the coming days, he said.
A sports complex in the city of Porto Alegre houses 450 people in beds spread around the floor, as well as dozens of dogs and small pigs.
“Solidarity is amazing,” 57-year-old school director Resplande de Sa told AFP at a charity center where volunteers were organizing beds, clothes and curtains.
According to the nonprofit Criminal Justice System, some prisons have applied for federal aid without running water.
In one prison, prisoners had to be moved to a higher floor when floods entered the complex.
The disaster destroyed more than 60,000 homes and devastated the agricultural economy, which normally supplies two-thirds of the rice consumed in Brazil.
The federal government announced on Thursday that it will invest $10 billion to rebuild the region.
The Inter-American Development Bank has pledged $1.1 billion for measures to rebuild infrastructure, support businesses and keep people working.
Rio de Janeiro’s statue of Christ the Redeemer was burned Wednesday night in honor of the victims and an appeal for more donations.
Help also came from outside Brazil.
Pope Francis sent 100,000 euros ($107,000) to care for refugees, and billionaire Elon Musk said his satellite company Starlink would donate 1,000 terminals to emergency workers and use them for free until the region recovers.
Only two of Porto Alegre’s six water treatment plants are operating, and hospitals and shelters are being supplied by tankers, the municipality said earlier this week.
The federal government, meanwhile, said it would import 200,000 tonnes of rice to ensure supply and prevent price speculation.
