On Sunday (26), the Civil Defense of Rio Grande do Sul released a recent report on the tragedy caused by heavy rains in the southernmost Brazilian state. Among the figures announced is confirmation that the death toll rose from 165 – the official figure published last Saturday (25) – to 169. There are 806 people injured, whether hospitalized or not.
Rio Grande do Sul's public security forces are still trying to locate 56 people missing throughout the state. In all, 469 municipalities were affected by the floods, which left 581,000 people homeless.
According to the Civil Defense report, 2.3 million people have been affected by the rains throughout the state so far, 55,000 of whom are in shelters set up by the state government.
Also on Sunday, the Integrated Command Center (Ceic, in Portuguese) reported that the level of the Guaíba River was at 4.13 meters in the area of Cais Mauá, downtown Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul’s capital city. According to the Civil Defense, the return of the population to their homes in that region of the capital can only begin when the Guaíba level drops to 3 meters.
Canoas receives commercial flights again
As of Monday (27), the Canoas air base, in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, will start receiving commercial flights. For now, only flights from São Paulo state airports – Guarulhos, Viracopos and Congonhas – will fly the route.
The measure, published in an extra edition of the Federal Official Registry last Monday (20), aims to meet the demand for passenger air transportation in Rio Grande do Sul and ease logistical chaos, given that Salgado Filho Airport, in Porto Alegre, is closed indefinitely.
