Severe floods in Uruguay displace thousands

Reuters Videos
Updated

STORY: ::Thousands are displaced in Uruguay

due to severe floods and heavy rain

::Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

::May 9, 2024

::Uruguay's national emergency director

issues a stark warning

::Santiago Carames

National Emergencies Director

::"What this has in common with the floods in Brazil is that we must take climate change more seriously. All of these things are going to happen more frequently."

The governor of Treinta y Tres, one of the departments most affected by the rains, Mario Silvera, described the situation in the department as ‘serious’ but ‘under control’ during a press conference on Thursday (May 9).

The rising water damaged the houses and belongings of the inhabitants of Treinta y Tres town. Some residents decided to go to shelters, while others stayed at their homes to avoid robberies.

The national emergency director, Santiago Carames, warned that such phenomena could increase in frequency and called for climate change to be taken seriously.