The passage of the Yakecan cyclone through Rio Grande do Sul, between the night of Tuesday (17) and dawn of Wednesday (18), ended with a death and material damage more minor than what authorities expected.
On Monday (16), a 51-year-old man died on a small boat traveling on Lake Guaíba in Porto Alegre. In Tramandaí, on the north coast, the roof of the Tramandaí Hospital partially came off around 10 pm on Tuesday, but there were no injuries.
The greatest damage occurred in the electrical power distribution structure due to branches and other objects thrown by the gusts of wind against the wiring. Approximately 226,000 people from Rio Grande do Sul woke up without energy, adding up the customers of the two concessionaires that serve RS.
This Wednesday morning, at least two municipalities on the coast of Rio Grande do Sul were completely without electricity: Mostarda and Tavares, which together have 18,330 inhabitants. In addition to the storm, the region has been experiencing continuous heavy rain for more than 13 hours, which makes it difficult to restore service. The region also faces problems with the internet signal. The forecast is that the rain will continue strong this Wednesday in RS but that it will improve from Thursday (19).
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon