Paraná River Flooding Forces Evacuations in Paraguay
Rising water on the Paraná River forced evacuations in four Paraguayan communities this weekend, including 60 families moved out of Ciudad del Este's San Rafael neighborhood. Paraguay's La Nación (Paraguay) reported Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, that the Paraná reached a gauge level of 110.50 meters that day. The outlet said the Acaraymí stream had overflowed in San Rafael, flooding several homes, and that the 60 families there had already been evacuated.
Itaipú Binacional, the Paraguayan-Brazilian entity that runs the Itaipú dam, began assisting the displaced families alongside the local municipality, La Nación said. Volunteer Firefighters, the Red Cross and the Área Naval del Este naval unit also helped. Of the 60 evacuated families, 41 had already been moved to safe locations. Itaipú's flood-forecasting commission projected the river would reach about 111 meters by Monday, Oct. 12, 2026.
In Concepción, heavy local rainfall flooded several neighborhoods. About 150 families in the city's José Félix area left their homes, and flooding also reached the Aquino Cué settlement.
In Cerrito, in Ñeembucú department, the rising river threatened cattle, and residents began moving livestock by boat to higher ground. The Paraguayan Navy relocated people and belongings from the Playa Boca Guasu area, and Cerrito's municipal government said the river would keep rising because of increased flow from the Yacyretá dam. Ayolas was also evacuating families threatened by the rising water, La Nación said. The binational entity that operates the Yacyretá dam, EBY, issued its own hydrological alert, citing rain in the Iguazú river basin and discharges from hydroelectric plants upstream.
In Ayolas, farmers on Isla Yegros raced to save crops before the rising river could cover them, Paraguay's ABC Color reported separately. Backed by the Naval Prefecture's Ayolas unit, growers had rescued about 500 kilograms of cassava, plus lettuce and peppers, by the time of the report. The produce was being sold locally so it would not go to waste, and Ayolas's Emergency Operations Center asked residents to buy the rescued crops to support the farmers.
