Brazil evacuates nearly 70,000 amid surging flood deaths

The situation is dire in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, with rapidly rising water levels straining dams and posing a significant threat to Porto Alegre, a city of 1.4 million inhabitants. The Guaiba River, which traverses the city, has reached a historic height of 5.04 meters (16.5 feet), surpassing the previous record set during the devastating floods of 1941.