On May 5, 2024, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, authorities were working to rescue people from devastating floods and mudslides that had resulted in over 50 deaths and forced nearly 70,000 to leave their homes.
The city, with a population of 1.4 million, was completely flooded, with streets underwater and some houses barely visible.
The Guaiba River, which runs through Porto Alegre, reached a record high level of 5.09 meters, surpassing the previous record of 4.76 meters set during the 1941 floods.
The water continued to advance into Porto Alegre and around 100 other localities, causing increasingly severe consequences.
The Guibaa River in Porto Alegre, Brazil reached a record high level of 5.09 meters, surpassing the historic peak of 4.76 meters set during devastating floods in 1941.
Approximately 70,000 residents were forced from their homes, and over a million people lacked access to potable water.
The civil defense agency reported 55 deaths, but this number did not include two people killed in a gas station explosion.
At least 74 people are still missing.
A nurse named Rosana Custodio and her family were among those forced to evacuate their flooded home.
A woman named (unnamed in the text) described her experience during heavy flooding in Thailand on Thursday night.
The water rose rapidly, forcing her family to leave their home in search of safety.
They used a kayak and swam through waist-deep water to reach higher ground.
Although they were safe, they had lost all their possessions.
The rain continued through Saturday night, with authorities warning of potential landslides.
Evacuations were underway, and rescue workers used various means to reach stranded individuals.