Flooding hits footwear manufacturing region hard
The Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, one of the country’s most important centres of footwear production, has been hit by severe flooding.
On May 8, the authorities there said the flooding had caused more than 95 fatalities and that a further 130 people were missing. Officials added that more than 370 people were injured and that more than 150,000 people had had to move out of their homes.
One industry association, Assintecal, said it was “mobilising to help the thousands of people affected”. It said 350 different towns and cities were affected by the floods, but that Novo Hamburgo, home to a large number of companies in the footwear value chain and to the Fimec exhibition, was one of the worst affected places.
Image shows the effects of the flooding on Novo Hamburgo.
