“This is the worst environmental calamity we have ever faced,” said Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva as he flew over the worst affected state of Santa Catarina.

Nearly 100,000 people were driven from their homes by floods that stretched from Rio de Janeiro state to near the border with Uruguay.

At least 117 people are confirmed to have died in the floods and accompanying mudslides.

The destruction of bridges, roads and buildings during the disaster has crippled an already faltering economy in the region.

Waterborne diseases were beginning to emerge across the disaster zone late in the week. Ten people with symptoms of leptospirosis were being treated in Blumenau and Ilhota, according to the state-run Agencia Brazil.

People across the country have donated $4.8 million for disaster relief in the area. The money will be used to buy food and build houses for the displaced. President Lula da Silva announced he was releasing more than $850 million in aid to the afflicted areas.

Government climatologist Carlos Nobre told Globo TV that heavy, persistent rains in southern Brazil usually coincide with an El Nino ocean warming in the Pacific. The lack of such a phenomenon this year may point to accelerated climate change as the cause of this season's freak storms, according to Nobre.

Photo: Agencia Brasil