In southern Brazil, flood victims cope with total loss

Gravatai, Brazil (AFP) May 4, 2024

When Claudio Almiro finally abandoned his ruined home in flood-ravaged southern Brazil, he found himself slogging through waist-deep water. The 55-year-old with a grizzled goatee, emaciated face and tired features, took refuge in a cultural center in Gravatai, a northern suburb of Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul. He is one of more than 8,000 residents of this state who fle