Local media report that currently there are 39 dead and 69 missing, and more than 24 thousand people are left homeless.
Flooding across the state has surpassed what was seen during the historic 1941 disaster, according to the Brazilian Geological Survey. In some cities, water levels were at their highest since records began nearly 150 years ago, the agency said.
On Thursday, a hydroelectric dam between the towns of Bento Gonçalves and Cotipora partially collapsed and entire towns in the Takwari River valley, such as Lajeado and Estrela, were completely flooded. In the city of Feliz, 80 kilometers from the state capital of Porto Alegre, a heavily flooded river demolished the bridge connecting it with the neighboring city of Linha Nova. Operators reported power, communications and water outages across the state. More than 23 thousand people were forced to leave their homes. The situation in Porto Alegre is expected to worsen.
Infrastructure has been severely affected, with widespread power and water outages, as well as flooded roads, landslides and collapsed bridges.
In some areas, such as valleys and mountain slopes, more than 150 millimeters of rain have been recorded in just 24 hours, according to Brazil's National Institute of Meteorology.
