José Tadeu was at home in Sarandi, in Brazil’s southernmost Rio Grande do Sul state, when he saw the water rising. “When it hit my waist I thought, ‘It’s now or never, I have to get out of here,’” he said. He grabbed a bag with some clothes and his documents and left. José is now at a university shelter with nine other family members. They are among more than 580,000 people that were displaced by massive floods that crippled southern Brazil in early May.
Unprecedented floodwaters have paralyzed the state, home to more than 11 million people. The disaster has caused a displacement crisis and extensive infrastructural damage, leaving much of the area isolated. Although Brazil has faced frequent natural disasters in recent years, the scope and impact of this one are particularly alarming.
More than 450 municipalities were flooded, and many continue to be underwater. The historic disaster killed 163 people, with many still missing, and injured more than 800.
This is a view of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul in late April, from satellite imagery provider Maxar.
In early May, massive floods engulfed the southern state, the worst disaster of this kind ever registered in the area.
Though already striking, this image only represents a portion of the extent of the floods in Rio Grande do Sul.
Flooding was observed in an area of at least 30,000 square miles, according to data from NASA’s Disasters Program. Government officials say more than 90 percent of the state’s municipalities and 2.3 million people were affected.
If placed over the United States’ East Coast, the floods would span northern Virginia to Maryland, and spill into Delaware and West Virginia.
Rio Grande do Sul received roughly eight months’ worth of average rainfall in just the first half of May, according to Luciano Zasso, a geography professor in the state’s university, PUCRS. The excessive rain caused the river system in the region to overflow, submerging many urban and rural areas.
In a news conference in early May, Gov. Eduardo Leite said the floods are the worst disaster ever registered in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. “Perhaps one of the worst disasters that the country has registered in recent history.”
The waters of the Guaíba Lake, which hugs the coast of the state capital Porto Alegre, rose to 17 feet in early May, a level that hadn’t been recorded since 1941.
A map shows that the coast of Porto Alegre, Canoas and Eldorado do Sul, all next to bodies of water, were flooded. A chart shows that the water levels at a Pier in the Jacuí River, next to the cities, rose to 17.4 feet on May 5, way above of the level the river walls are able to contain. It’s also the highest since 1941.
The rapid rise, way above what the city’s barriers are able to contain, submerged most of the urban areas along the shore.
To Zasso, the extreme event was a result of a combination of factors. Besides extremely elevated rainfall, global warming and recent population growth in vulnerable areas might have contributed to the floods. “In the last decade, we’ve been seeing an elevated rate of paving,” he said. “That leads to the removal of the natural vegetation that protect the rivers from overflowing.”
Porto Alegre and its neighboring city Canoas, both situated by the water, were heavily affected. In the state capital alone, nearly 40,000 buildings were damaged, according to a government analysis. Among them were homes, schools, hospitals, commercial offices and retailers.
Ivanir de Fátima Fragoso, who has lived in a Porto Alegre neighborhood next to the Jacuí river for the past 34 years, said she has seen floods come and go over the years, but this time it’s different. “Before, we would lose some things, but we could recover, repair, wait for it dry out,” she said. “Not now. My house is completely underwater. I’ve lost everything.”
A satellite image of the coast of Porto Alegre and neighboring city Canoas from May 7 shows many residences, businesses, a stadium and the airport under water.
The capital suffered massive infrastructural damage. The city’s airport, train station and bus station were flooded. Several roads leading into the city were blocked due to the high water levels.
Porto Alegre City Hall was encircled by water. The floods also reached the government’s data centers, which had to be disconnected, bringing many state services to a halt.
Three weeks after the heaviest rainfall, state authorities are still reporting more than 80,000 locations without power. Many still don’t have water or internet services.
Chaos also ensued in smaller towns along the River Taquari, which runs across Rio Grande do Sul. Many in more secluded areas had to be rescued by helicopter.
The water engulfed two soccer arenas in the capital. In this one, in northern Porto Alegre, almost three feet of water soaked the field.
Floods left planes stranded on the tarmac of Porto Alegre’s international airport. The airport lobby was completely flooded.
West of the capital, some parts of the river Taquari reached 89 feet, a level that hadn’t been seen in almost 70 years. Many smaller towns along the water were destroyed.
One of them is the city of Taquari, where at least 1,300 people were displaced by the flooding. Many residents who relied on farming and ranching for a living lost everything. Government officials say agricultural recovery could take a year.
Conditions are unlikely to improve until June and could worsen. The rain caused hundreds of landslides across the state, leaving residents stranded and waiting for rescue. One hydroelectric dam in the northwestern part of the state partially collapsed due to floodwaters. Another is under “imminent risk of collapse,” according to the state’s government. Six others are under high alert.
Map showing landslides in Rio Grande do Sul from April 20 through May 8
In an exclusive statement to The Washington Post, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva blamed the tragedy on the failures of the global community to respond to climate change. “This was the third record flood in the same region of the country in less than a year,” Lula told The Post. “We and the world need to prepare every day with more plans and resources to deal with extreme climate occurrences.”
Rio Grande do Sul’s road to recovery will be long and arduous. Flooded houses will need fixing. Collapsed bridges will need rebuilding. Authorities say the international airport in Porto Alegre will remain closed until September at the earliest.
Last week, Gov. Leite announced that the state will build temporary housing for affected residents in four cities on the east coast of the state, including the capital.
In the meantime, more than 65,000 people shelter in schools and gymnasiums across the state, waiting for the water levels to subside so they can go back and survey their houses. Fragoso, who fled her house in Porto Alegre, is one of them. To her, the main challenge is ahead. “The tragedy was hard, but now will be even harder. Coming back to the house to see what’s left … there won’t be anything,” she said.
About this story
Marina Dias and Terrence McCoy contributed to this report from Brazil. Graphics editing by Samuel Granados. Copy editing by Rebecca Branford.
Sources: Data on the flood extent across the state is from NASA Disasters Program and was derived from two OPERA DSWx-HLS images taken on April 21 and May 6, 2024. Data on landslides is also from NASA, and encompasses events detected between April 20 and May 8, 2024. The data is not exhaustive, and areas covered by clouds were not included. Satellite images are from Maxar Technologies. Data on Brazilian water bodies is from the Agência Nacional de Águas (National Water Agency). Data on the flood extent around Porto Alegre is from the Institute of Hydraulic Research at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (IPH/UFRGS) and is based on observations made on May 6. Population data is from WorldPop. Data on water levels at the Mauá Pier is from Hidrotelemetria.
