PORTO ALEGRE/CANOAS - The death toll from heavy rain that caused flooding in Brazil’s southern state of Rio Grande do Sul has risen to at least 83, officials said on May 6, up from 78 a day earlier.

Rio Grande do Sul’s civil defence authority said 111 people were still missing, while nearly 122,000 people have been displaced.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived in Rio Grande do Sul on May 5, along with most members of his Cabinet, to discuss rescue and reconstruction works with the local authorities.

“Bureaucracy will not stand in our way, stopping us from recovering the state’s greatness,” Mr Lula said at a press conference.

“It is a war scenario, and will need post-war measures,” state governor Eduardo Leite added.

It was raining on the morning of May 5 in Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, and in other parts of the state, which could make rescue efforts even harder. Flooding from storms in the past few days has affected about two-thirds of the nearly 500 towns and cities in the state, which borders Uruguay and Argentina, leaving more than 88,000 people displaced.

Floods have destroyed roads and bridges in several cities. The rain has also triggered landslides and the partial collapse of a dam at a small hydroelectric power plant.

In Porto Alegre, the Guaiba lake broke its banks by more than 2m, hitting the highest water level on records, according to the national geological service. Porto Alegre’s international airport has suspended all flights since May 3.

At a makeshift rescue centre in Porto Alegre, Ms Kaeli Moraes described being evacuated along with her husband and their three children when the water had nearly reached the second floor of their house.

“There was flooding in September, then in November, and now this one. It is only getting worse,” she said.

State Governor Eduardo Leite told reporters on the evening of May 4 that Rio Grande do Sul would need a “Marshall Plan” to recover from the storms and its consequences, referring to the US-led plan for Europe’s economic recovery after World War II.

In the city of Canoas, near Porto Alegre, Mr Julio Manichesque, 76, was rescued by volunteers from the roof of the house where he has lived for 52 years.

“I have never seen that much water,” he said.

Many volunteers have been risking their own safety during the rescue efforts, using small boats, jet skis and kayaks.

Mr Fabiano Saldanha, 30, said he and three friends have used jet skis to rescue about 50 people since May 3 on the islands that are part of Porto Alegre.

“The only thing we hear when we enter a street is ‘help, help’,” he said.

During his weekly address to crowds in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, Pope Francis said on May 5 he was praying for the people of the state.

“I assure my prayers for the people of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, affected by major floods. May the Lord receive the dead, comfort their families and all those who had to leave their homes,” the pope said. REUTERS