Two girls watch cartoons on a phone at a truck factory warehouse, after being displaced by floods. Washed-out roads have led to food and water shortages, disrupting the lives of over two million people. Eldorado do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
2025 Photo Contest - South America - Stories

Brazil’s Worst-Ever Floods

Photographer

Amanda Maciel Perobelli

Reuters
16 May, 2024

Two girls watch cartoons on a phone at a truck factory warehouse, after being displaced by floods. Washed-out roads have led to food and water shortages, disrupting the lives of over two million people. Eldorado do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Record-breaking floods in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, have caused widespread 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. 

Combining weather observations with results from climate models, scientists estimate that climate change had made the event in southern Brazil twice as likely and around 6% to 9% more intense. Experts from the World Weather Attribution group said that the heavy rainfall which inundated whole towns and destroyed infrastructure was an “extremely rare” event expected to occur only once every 100 to 250 years. But, according to the group, it would have been more rare without factoring in human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels. Failure of critical infrastructure, deforestation, and rapid urbanization also helped amplify the effects of the disaster.  

On the streets, no residents have ever witnessed any flood of this magnitude in their lifetimes. While some are considering leaving everything behind to start anew elsewhere, others are focused on how to rebuild their lives. João Engelmann and Edite de Almeida have chosen to stay and rebuild. “I’m grateful we survived, and I mourn for those who lost family.” Edite said. “We’ve come from nothing. We’ve returned to nothing. Now we start again.”


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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

1/30

Focal length

35mm

F-Stop

f/1,6

ISO

1000

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.