TeleSUR
The Brazilian authorities reported this Friday that due to the rains that hit the south of the country there are already 114 dead, 146 missing and almost two million victims.
n Rio Grande do Sul, the most affected region, at least 113 deaths, 756 injuries and more than 400,000 displaced people were reported, and in the state of Santa Catarina one death.
The vast majority of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul have been totally or partially affected by rainfall and flooding, including the regional capital Porto Alegre, where there are still flooded neighborhoods.
Rescue teams and the Armed Forces continue working in the area to find more victims and transport survivors to a safe place, many of whom only had time to climb to the roof of their houses, but access to some locations has missing and dozens of roads are closed.
According to the Civil Defense, Brazilian authorities have been able to rescue nearly 71,000 people and 10,000 animals since last week.
On the other hand, health organizations announced that most of the primary care units in the region are affected by floods.
Likewise, law enforcement forces are trying to reinforce security in the area, since looting and even sexual assaults have been reported in some shelters where thousands of people are staying due to the disaster.
The regional government assures that the weather situation of recent days will negatively affect the Brazilian economy, and that Rio Grande do Sul, one of the most prosperous states in the country, will need 18,839 million reais (3,700 million dollars) to recover from the floods.
The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, announced an aid package of 50 billion reais ($9.8 billion) for the state, which includes direct assistance measures, subsidized credits for companies and assistance for rural producers, among others.
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