Tornadoes hit cities in Rio Grande do Sul and leave neighborhoods destroyed

Two tornadoes hit the northwest of Rio Grande do Sul this Saturday (7). Hundreds of houses were left roofless.

The storm in the city of Santo Augusto started around 1:30 in the morning. First came the strong wind and then the rain.

"Lightning came soon after with thunder, which we already know was very close, a real flash, then the strong wind, and we heard it as if it were ice, but in fact it was already the roof tiles coming off", says Thales Costa.

Part of Maurício Dias' house collapsed on him. "I was sleeping and woke up to that noise. When I saw it, there was a violent bang, the window broke and everything fell on top of me", he says.

"I had to go to the hospital and had seven stitches. The cut was very deep. But I thank God for being alive."

Around 100 homes were damaged, some with their roofs completely destroyed. Residents worked to repair the damage. The wind left at least three neighborhoods destroyed.

"It was a continuous event, with winds that characterize a tornado, even destruction. I have 28 years of service in this area and this year has been a very atypical year. Every 15 days there is a problem in the state", points out Major Silvano Oliveira Rodrigues, from the state's Civil Defense.

Another tornado also hit Palmeira das Missões, 60 kilometers from Santo Augusto. A fertilizer warehouse was destroyed.

In Bento Gonçalves, in Serra Gaúcha, at least 1,500 houses were damaged by hail during the early hours of the morning.

City hall, firefighters and the Army distributed tarpaulins to residents, who spent the day repairing their properties.

It also rained heavily again in the other states in southern Brazil. A storm with winds of more than 70 kilometers per hour tore off the ceiling of this gas station in Curitiba. No one is hurt.

The wind knocked down dozens of trees, some onto the power grid. 52 thousand properties are without electricity. Throughout Paraná, there are more than 400 thousand.

Earlier, in Santa Catarina, a storm flooded the city of Abdón Batista, in the mid-west of the state.

Residents needed help to get out of their houses. In the rural area of ​​Papanduva, in the North, the current washed away a bridge.