(PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil) — Severe flooding in Brazil has left 75 people dead, 103 individuals unaccounted for and multiple families standing on their rooftops hoping to be rescued, authorities said Sunday.
The dire situation comes as heavy rain continues to downpour on Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state, according to officials.
The Guaíba River, in the capital city of Porto Alegre, reached a high record level of 17.4 feet, putting the city’s 1.4 million residents in a situation of unprecedented crisis, officials said.
The Rio Grande do Sul’s governor’s office told ABC News, thus far, 75 people have died in the flooding, 103 individuals remain missing, 839, 000 houses in the area have no water and 421, 000 houses have no power.
So far, 707, 000 people have been impacted by the ongoing flooding and more than 105,000 people have been evacuated in total, according to the governor’s office, which notes, at least 20,000 people have lost their homes.
Authorities said this is the worst flood to impact the area in over 80 years, surpassing the historic 1941 deluge that devastated the region.
The ongoing environmental crisis marks a startling sign for officials as the heavy rain began last week and is forecasted to continue to impact the region until Tuesday.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva came back to Rio Grande do Sul for the second time to visit victims and to witness the widespread damage to the region.
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