Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali has expressed condolences to Brazilian president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva over flooding that has hit the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
In his message dated May 2nd, President Ali said “We are deeply saddened at the news of the loss of lives, the displacement of people and the widespread destruction caused by the severe flooding in that region”. He expressed solidarity with the people of Brazil.
Up to yesterday, Reuters reported that heavy rains battering Brazil’s southernmost state have killed at least 83 people and that more than 100 were still missing.
The storms have affected more than two-thirds of the nearly 500 cities in the state, leaving about 130,000 people displaced, the state civil defense authority said, according to Reuters.
Flooding from storms have destroyed roads and bridges in several cities, while triggering landslides and the partial collapse of a dam at a small hydroelectric power plant.
“I am 72 years old and this is the first time I see this,” said Flavio Rosa, a resident of Canoas, a town of some 350,000 people that was among the hardest hit. “I’ve seen other floods, but nothing like this”, she told Reuters.
Weather conditions improved yesterday but showers are expected to return at lower volumes later this week and could pick up again between May 10 and 15, according to local weather forecaster MetSul Meteorologia.
