The extent of the devastation of floods that are ravaging southern Brazil have been laid bare in new and dramatic satellite images shared with CNN. At least 95 people have died in the heavy rainfall and floods that have torn through the state of Rio Grande do Sul, where storms have affected more than 1 million people in 385 municipalities, according to the civil defense.
Long-term global warming caused primarily by humans burning fossil fuels has also exacerbated extreme weather in the region. Rio Grande do Sul — Brazil’s southernmost state, and until recently a tranquil agricultural region — has seen repeatedly extreme weather events in recent years. In the capital’s central area, the Gremio Arena football stadium, which seats 55,000 people, is surrounded by floodwaters, its pitch entirely submerged.