Rio Grande Do Sul underwater, 2024
In South of Brazil, the state of Rio Grande Do Sul is suffering the consequences of the greatest natural disaster to hit the region. Since the beginning of May 2024, heavy flooding affected 90 % of the land, leaving millions of people devastated.
In the last months, Brazil has been the scene of numerous natural and ecological disasters. According to many researchers and scientists, these disastrous floods are exacerbated by global warming, allowing these extreme phenomena to become more frequent and more intense.
In the state of Rio Grande Do Sul, the equivalent of 3 months’ rain fell in just 2 weeks. Many towns, including the capital Porto Alegre with its 1.4 million inhabitants, were submerged, making it difficult to reach local populations and provide them with aid.
An estimated 1.9 million people have been affected by this cataclysm, 171 have died and 340,000 are now homeless.
Francisco Proner follows the path of the Brazilian army, providing support to flood victims. In his photos, calm may have returned and the rain has stopped, but the disaster remains. Deprived populations help each other and try to clean up the damage when they can return to their homes. With more than 60 000 damaged houses, many associations are mobilizing to help the most vulnerable, while other are already protesting against the lack of resources deployed by the government, particularly despite the €9 billion promised by President Lula to rebuilt the state.
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