In the southern regions of Brazil, officials worked tirelessly on Sunday to rescue individuals from rising floods and mudflows, facing what is now considered the area's most extensive climate disaster on record.
The calamity has claimed at least 78 lives, forcing 115,000 people to evacuate. Entire urban areas found themselves underwater, with many people cut off from civilization due to the deluge caused by days of continuous rainfall.
In Porto Alegre, the main city of Rio Grande do Sul, residents sought refuge on their rooftops, while others navigated waterlogged streets using canoes or small boats.
A meteorologist described the situation as "a calamitous mix" of climate patterns and the impact of El Niño. Over 3,000 military personnel, firefighters, and emergency responders worked to reach citizens, many of whom were trapped without water or electricity. Civil defense authorities reported at least 105 people missing.
"It looks like a scene from a war, and after it's over, it will require a post-war approach," said Eduardo Leite, Governor of Rio Grande do Sul. Brazilian President Luiz Lula da Silva pledged ample resources for rebuilding efforts. Apart from Porto Alegre, 341 other municipalities and rural areas have been affected by the floods.
Military personnel are setting up makeshift medical facilities after evacuating hundreds of patients from hospitals.
"Everyone helps in their own way, as they can," said Luis Eduardo da Silva, 32, who volunteered in rescue efforts. The Guaiba River, flowing through the city of 1.4 million inhabitants, reached an unprecedented height of 5.3 meters (17.4 feet), surpassing the previous record of 4.76 meters set during the catastrophic floods of 1941.
"Rio Grande do Sul has always been a meeting point between tropical and polar air masses," climatologist Francisco Eliseu Aquino shared with AFP. "But these interactions intensified with climate change," creating "a disastrous cocktail that makes the atmosphere more unstable and encourages storms."
Rosana Custodio, a 37-year-old nurse, evacuated her flooded home in Porto Alegre with her husband and three children.
"During the night on Thursday, the waters began to rise very quickly," she told AFP in a WhatsApp message.
"In a hurry, we went out to look for a safer place. But we couldn't walk... My husband put our two little ones in a kayak and rowed with bamboo. My son and I swam to the end of the street." Her family was safe, but "we've lost everything we had."