Brazils Rio Grande do Sul faces economic woes after floods, and an unclear path to rebuilding [Video]

Flooding in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state ravaged nearly everything needed for economic activity, from local shops to factories, farms and ranches.

The environmental catastrophe — unprecedented in state history — upended transportation, including the airport in the capital Porto Alegre, which is expected to remain shuttered for months. Segments of major highways are closed due to landslides, washed-out roads and collapsed bridges. Blackouts continue to plague the state. Gov. Eduardo Leite has said Rio Grande do Sul will need a “kind of ‘Marshall Plan’ to be rebuilt,” although an exact strategy to do so in a way that reduces future climate disasters has yet to be determined.

BRAZIL’S FLOODED SOUTH SEES FIRST DEATHS FROM DISEASE, AS EXPERTS WARN OF COMING SURGE IN FATALITIES

Gilberto Zeni, a shopkeeper in Porto Alegre who has owned his store for 18 years, suffered huge losses.

“This has never happened before. It is very sad to go through a situation …