Volunteers use their own boats to rescue people trapped by rising floodwaters. Emergency teams and local volunteers navigated strong currents to evacuate families and pets to safety. Canoas, Brazil. 
2025 Photo Contest - South America - Stories

Brazil’s Worst-Ever Floods

Photographer

Amanda Maciel Perobelli

Reuters
05 May, 2024

Volunteers use their own boats to rescue people trapped by rising floodwaters. Emergency teams and local volunteers navigated strong currents to evacuate families and pets to safety. Canoas, Brazil. 

Record-breaking floods in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, have caused environmental devastation, the displacement of over 600,000 residents, and the death of 183 people. The government declared it the state’s largest climate disaster ever, with 2.39 million residents affected and major human, non-human, and economic losses. According to a team of international scientists, climate change, intensified by El Niño, made the flooding twice as likely. Experts warn that such extremely rare weather events, once expected to occur every 100 to 250 years, will become more frequent due to the burning of fossil fuels and other forms of environmental degradation. The floods have devastated local economies and communities. While some residents are leaving to start anew, others are choosing to stay and rebuild their lives. 

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Amanda Maciel Perobelli
About the photographer

Amanda Maciel Perobelli is a Brazilian photojournalist based in São Paulo, Brazil. After completing a degree in journalism, she worked primarily as a freelance photographer for newspapers, magazines, and other media outlets. In 2018, Maciel Perobelli joined Reuters as a contributing photographer, covering news acros...

Read the full biography
Technical information
Shutter Speed

1/1600

Focal length

36mm

F-Stop

f/4.5

ISO

125

Camera

EOS R1

Jury comment

The jury recognized this project for its powerful documentation of the largest climate disaster in Brazilian history. The work captures both the vast scale of destruction and the personal impact on those affected. Its strong sequencing moves from wide overviews to intimate moments, conveying the shock and devastation experienced by communities. The photographer’s approach offers a compelling perspective on the human toll of climate catastrophe, making this an important and timely body of work.