The level of the River Acre reached 16.02 metres in the city of Rio Branco on Saturday morning, according to the municipal Civil Defence. The spring that bathes the state capital has been above 17 metres since February 29, and last Wednesday it reached its highest level of the year, 17.89 metres, the second highest flood in history, since the measurement began in 1971. The highest historical level ever recorded was 18.40 metres in 2015. A few months separate the peak of a severe drought and the arrival of devastating floods in Acre. To understand the successive crises that brought emergency to the state, at least three factors must be considered: the influence of El Niño, the delay in the "Amazon winter", as the rainy season in the region is known, and the impact of the warming Atlantic Ocean. In 2024, there are already 51 neighbourhoods and 23 rural communities affected by the flood in Rio Branco, and more than 4,000 people are homeless, according to the capital's city hall, with data from this Friday (8). The figures have not yet been updated as of Saturday. More than 70,000 people have been affected, directly or indirectly, by the flooding in Rio Branco.

Source: Amazon Agency