Civil Defense confirms tornado in Farroupilha after damage analysis

The Rio Grande do Sul Civil Protection Monitoring Center confirmed that the phenomenon that occurred on Tuesday afternoon (23) in Farroupilha, Serra Gaúcha, was a tornado. The classification was carried out after analysis of aerial images of the area concerned, carried out by technicians from the Risk Management Department.

According to the State Civil Defense, the pattern of destruction observed in the community of Vila Rica, inside the municipality, was decisive for the confirmation. The images show debris scattered in different directions, a characteristic associated with the appearance of tornadoes, unlike other intense wind events.

The technical assessment also identified a severe storm advancing across the region, with winds likely to exceed 100 km/h, resulting in a short-lived tornado. Before the event, at 12:58 p.m., the Civil Defense Operations Center had issued an orange alert for the Farroupilha region, indicating the risk of intense rain, strong winds and electric shocks.

At the same time, the municipal administration of Farroupilha launched a survey to identify the number of homes affected and measure the damage caused by the storm. The 9th Regional Coordination of Protection and Civil Defense, based in Caxias do Sul, was present in the municipality to help the local management investigate the damage and define response and disaster management measures.