RIO DE JANEIRO—The state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil has had torrential rains, resulting in 143 deaths, up from 136 the day before, according to the local civil defense government organization. An additional 131 people are still missing.
With a population of over 10.9 million, the government said on Saturday night that it will spend almost 12.1 billion reais ($2.34 billion) on emergency measures to address the crisis that has forced more than 538,000 people from their homes in the state.
The federal government stated in a statement on Saturday that the state has already received more than 60 billion reais in federal dollars thanks to this additional funding.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil, declared that the nation will restore what was lost.
“We know that not everything can be recovered, mothers have lost their children and children have lost their mothers,” said Lula on social media X, in a statement to mark Mother’s Day.
On Saturday, U.S. President Joe Biden issued a statement, saying that his administration is in contact with Brazil’s government to provide assistance.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people impacted by this tragedy and the first responders working to rescue and provide medical care to families and individuals,” said President Biden.
Metsul, the weather forecaster, warned on Saturday night that further rain was predicted for Sunday, which would fill rivers that were already full or overflowing.
Due to the state's location near the meeting point of the polar and tropical atmospheres, it experiences periods of both severe rain and drought in its weather.
