Southern Brazil Has Been Hit By The Worst Floods In More Than 80 Years, Leaving At Least 39 Dead

Heavy rains in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul killed 39 people, with another 68 still missing, the state civil defense agency said Friday, as record-breaking floods devastated cities and forced thousands to leave their homes. It was the fourth such environmental disaster in a year, following floods in July, September and November 2023 that killed 75 people in total. The flooding statewide has surpassed that seen during a historic 1941 deluge, according to the Brazilian Geological Service. In some cities, water levels were at their highest since records began nearly 150 years ago, the agency said. “It's the worst disaster ever recorded in the history of Rio Grande do Sul, perhaps one of the biggest disasters the country has ever seen, at least in recent history,” said Rio Grande do Sul state governor Eduardo Leite. Weather across South America is affected by the climate phenomenon El Niño, a periodic, naturally occurring event that warms surface waters in the Equatorial Pacific region. In Brazil, El Niño has historically caused droughts in the north and intense rainfall in the south. This year, the impacts of El Niño have been particularly dramatic, with a historic drought in the Amazon. Scientists say extreme weather is happening more frequently due to human-caused climate change. On Friday, the storms started to move northward and hit neighboring Santa Catarina state, where state authorities reported the death of one man swept away by the flood.