A Brazil storm leaves at least 27 dead and 1,600 homeless while families plead for help

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Authorities in southern Brazil say at least 27 people have died after a fierce storm caused floods in several cities in the region. The governor of Rio Grande do Sul state says rescue efforts were expanding farther west with helicopters headed to the Rio Pardo Valley. More than 60 cities have been battered by the storm since Monday night and the death toll is the state’s highest due to a climate event. The Rio Grande do Sul state government says at least 1,650 people have been made homeless by the storm.