Hello, I'm James Reynolds. Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service. In BBC OS conversations, people around the world share their experiences.

And this time we hear from some of those caught up in the floods in southern Brazil.

Vast areas of the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande de

the school remain underwater. Homes are destroyed,

thousands are without power or safe drinking water.

Entire towns remain cut off. In our conversations we bring together three residents and we hear

from volunteers involved in the rescue effort. We were sailing inside of the

city. The rivers were streets. We are sailing on the streets with one and a half meter of water.

The torrential rains began in Rio Grande, the Sioux at the end of April,

saturating the ground and bursting the banks

of the Tacquarie and Thai rivers.

Those rivers flow into the Guaiba,

which has led to severe flooding in the state's capital Portoalege. These are the worst floods in 80 years.

Some forecasts suggests it could be weeks until the waters subside.

600,000 people have been displaced from their homes.

More than 150 are confirmed to have died,

and rescue workers continue to search for those who are missing.

Our first conversation this week is with three people in Porto Allegre, Carlos, who's now left the city

with his family after some effort, Tarso. He's been helping rescuers and Renata.

She was in Sao Paulo when the rain started and she decided to return to Porto Allegre,

only to find her apartment underwater.

Everything I had, I due to this flood.

...