From April to May 1941, Guaíba, Brazil, was flooded for 22 days. The waters reached a level of 4.76 meters (16 feet; 190 inches) in height and went to the Porto Alegre Public Market, Rua da Praia, and the city center.[1] Another consequence of the flood was the destruction of a large part of the Riacho Railway, which connected the center with the neighborhoods in the southern city;[2] and the urgency for the canalization of Arroio Dilúvio, which had been started in 1939, and its city government was assisted by the federal government.[3]
Causes
Water from Guaíba drains into the lake, and the flood was later followed by heavy rains. At the time, precipitation totalled 791 millimetres (2.6 ft; 31 in). The recurrence time for this flood is 370 years.[4]
Damage and casualties
At least one person has drowned in the flood. There were an estimated 1,000 houses that were flooded, with more than 400 homes underwater.[5]
The American Red Cross allocated US$10,000 to those affected.[2] One bomber of the United States Army Air Corps flew to the location with serums for the victims.[6]
References
- ^ "Porto Alegre protegida contra enchentes como a de 1941" [Porto Alegre protected against floods like the one in 1941]. Prefeitura de Porto Alegre (in Brazilian Portuguese). 17 May 2011. The Flood of 41. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ a b Huyer, Andre. "HUYER, Andre. A Ferrovia do Riacho. Porto Alegre, UFRGS, 2010" [HUYER, Andre. The Riacho Railway. Porto Alegre, UFRGS, 2010]. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (in Brazilian Portuguese).
- ^ Burin, Carolina Wolff (November 2008). "Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul" [Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Douglas Vieira de Aguiar as advisor. p. 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 May 2023.
- ^ "Características topográficas e cheias na cidade" [Topographic features and floods in the city]. Prefeitura de Porto Alegre (in Brazilian Portuguese). A enchente de 1941. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ "20,000 Flooded Out in Brazil". The Montreal Gazette. Vol. CLXX, 107. 3 May 1941. p. 48.
- ^ "Wings Over the World". The Virgin Islands Daily News. 16 October 1941. Wings of Peace.