Brazil floods leave more than 100 dead and thousands displaced: NPR

MARY LOUISE KELLY, host:

In yesterday’s broadcast we heard about floods that have been ravaging East Africa for months, a combination of natural weather phenomena and man-made climate change. Well, the same combination is also wreaking havoc in southern Brazil, where more than a hundred people have been killed. Many more are missing or displaced. Julia Carneiro reports.

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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (No English language spoken).

JULIA CARNEIRO, BYLINE: In this video from Porto Alegre, people call for help from apartment blocks that appear to be floating above the muddy water. It gets dark and the city stands still. The ground floors are completely flooded. Vanderson Chaves, Paralympic fencing athlete, chose this location. It came in handy for his wheelchair.

VANDERSON CHAVES: (speaking Portuguese).

CARNEIRO: But now his home is completely under water, he says. His medals, equipment, uniforms, gadgets, everything. Vanderson was preparing for his third Paralympic Games of the year and must compete in two key competitions next week to make it to the Paris Games. But now he doesn’t know how to cope.

CHAVES: (speaking Portuguese).

CARNEIRO: He says it feels like they’re in a war zone. The people have no water and no electricity. As a black man and disabled man, he was used to hardships, but this was chaos, he says.

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PRES LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA: (speaking Portuguese).

CARNEIRO: Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says it is currently impossible to know the extent of the damage. This will only become clear once the water has receded, he says. His government announced $10 billion in funding to support various sectors in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, providing incentives for businesses and expecting social benefits.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (No English language spoken).

CARNEIRO: But local people urgently need help. From the army to the common people, everyone comes to donation centers to volunteer. Locals urgently need basic supplies – drinking water, personal care items, food and mattresses.

MARIA EDUARDA CALDEIRA BRINO: (No English language spoken).

CARNEIRO: Film producer Maria Eduarda Brino tells me she asked a few friends for donations and soon received help from hundreds of people. She and two friends went from shelter to shelter to deliver donations to those displaced from their homes.

BRINO: (No English language spoken).

CARNEIRO: She says her house wasn’t affected, but she couldn’t just stay home and see all the tragedies unfolding around her.

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CARNEIRO: Rescue efforts continue by air, land and water, but these are floods of historic proportions. Torrential rains in southern Brazil reflect rising global temperatures. To make matters worse, the topography of the region means that the water remains there. The longer the flooding lasts, the greater the costs and long-term impacts, which is why some compare it to Hurricane Katrina. For NPR News, I’m Julia Carneiro in Rio.

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