Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil - May 7, 2024

Storyline:
A major flooding caused by heavy rains in Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul has left hundreds of towns under water and caused widespread power and water outages, forcing the residents there to take shelter in open fields and on the roadsides.

Heavy rains and resulting flooding and mudslides had killed 90 people, left 132 others missing, injured 361 and forced more than 200,000 local residents to evacuate over the past eight days, according to the civil defense agency on Tuesday.

Over 1.4 million people in 388 of the state's 497 towns, including the capital city Porto Alegre, were affected by the disasters, according to the agency.

"We lost everything and now we're in the only place we could find for shelter. Everything is gone, we start to miss our homes. If the water goes down, we will thank God and return to our house. Even then, we will have to struggle to get our lives back. We will need help," said a flood victim.

More than 85 percent of the city's population has lost access to potable water, forcing the authorities to ration the water supply.

The capital's airport, the Salgado Filho, had to be shut down after the terminal and runways were flooded by waters from the Guaiba River, further hampering efforts to bring aid in for the local population.

Despite the clear blue skies seen on Tuesday in Porto Alegre, the region could see another setback in following days. The weather forecasters have predicted that more storms are likely on the way.

Shotlist:
Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil - May 7, 2024:
1. Aerial shots of flooded districts from helicopter;
2. Various of people setting up basic shelter, resting on roadside;
3. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese, dubbed with English) flood victim (name not given) (partially overlaid with shot 4):
"We lost everything and now we're in the only place we could find for shelter. Everything is gone, we start to miss our homes. If the water goes down, we will thank God and return to our house. Even then, we will have to struggle to get our lives back. We will need help."
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
4. People resting in shelter;
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
5. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese, dubbed with English) flood victim (name not given):
"We're on the side of the road relying on the kindness of drivers passing by. They've been giving us food, water and medicine. We really need more medicine, especially for a woman here with diabetes, she's almost out."
6. Various of boats sailing on flooded streets;
7. People resting on roadside.

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