SEVERE FLOODS IN BRAZIL KILLS AT LEAST 100 PEOPLE AND STRANDS ANIMALS

• At least 100 people have died following heavy rain in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
• At least 234,000 residents have been displaced from their homes 

Heartbreaking video footage showed the moment a horse stood stranded on the top of a home following the storm that has flooded most of the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul and left 100 people dead. 

The horse was left behind by its owners after they abandoned their home in the the municipality of Canoas.

Video from TV Globo's news helicopter showed a horse stranded on the roof on Wednesday morning. The Rio Grande do Sul Department of Civil Defense said it was launching a mission to rescue the animal.

Authorities were also looking into four other possible deaths that may be related to the flood following last week's rainstorm. It added that 128 people were still missing and that 372 have been treated for injuries.

Heavy rains caused bridges and buildings to collapse and turned neighborhood streets into rivers in 417 of the Rio Grande do Sul's 497 cities and displacing at least 234,000 people from their homes.

Rescue missions in Porto Alegre, the state capital, were cancelled Wednesday due to rain and high winds. 

One volunteer told the network that some residents had gone three days without food.

Videos on social media showed alligators swimming in the flooded streets of Porto Alegre, the state capital, on Tuesday afternoon. 

The Department of Environment dispatched a unit to canvass the Porto Alegre neighborhood of Menino Deus, but none had been detected as of Wednesday afternoon.

'Be careful, okay? These animals, they stay on the banks, and the banks are now inside the city, okay?' a local biologist warned on social media after sharing a video of a reptile swimming. 

'So, if you see one, it looks like a big log, don't come close, okay?'

Brazil's national center for natural disasters issued an advisory Tuesday for the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul, warning that more floods were likely Wednesday because of rain and winds that could surpass 55 miles per hours.

Governor Eduardo Leite announced the arrival of 100 National Force agents and the activation of reserve police officers Wednesday to combat looting.

At least 32 people were arrested Monday for crimes, including invasions and damages of property and vandalism, according to the Military Brigade.

'We will exert full force for public security,' Leite said.

The governor initially asked the government to turn over policing to the armed forces before petitioned for 400 National Force members.

'We will bring order to the state. We will arrest those that use this dramatic moment to carry out (robberies) or commit crimes,' Leite said.

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2024-05-08T19:50:27Z dg43tfdfdgfd