The Brazilian government promised Thursday to release some nine billion euros for the reconstruction of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, devastated by unprecedented floods which left more than 100 dead and seriously damaged homes and essential infrastructure.
While in this region of the south of the country rescue teams are struggling to save humans and animals trapped by water in a desolate setting, Head of State Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva chaired a meeting in Brasilia to discuss responses to tragedy.
The federal government has decided “on an injection of resources of around 50 billion reais (around 9 billion euros) into Rio Grande do Sul”, announced Finance Minister Fernando Haddad.
The measures adopted prioritize the granting of loans to help affected workers, businesses and municipalities.
At least 107 people died, 374 others were injured and 136 are missing following the torrential rains that fell in the region all last week, according to the latest report from Civil Defense published Thursday.
Nearly 1.5 million people were affected and more than 164,000 evacuated following these exceptional rains, a natural disaster that experts and the government associate with climate change.
These floods affected the state capital, Porto Alegre and its 1.4 million inhabitants, but also more than 400 localities in the region. Some 60,000 homes were destroyed.
After an interruption due to rain the day before, rescue teams were still searching Thursday for people trapped in their homes or reluctant to leave for fear of looting.
Sometimes, rescuers also mobilize to save animals, like this horse that local media showed lonely on the roof of a submerged house, in Canoas, a suburb of Porto Alegre, and rescued using inflatable boats.
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Another gigantic task for local authorities is strengthening logistics in order to accelerate the distribution of essential goods to disaster victims.
“The focus is always on rescues (…) but we are working very intensively on the delivery of humanitarian aid,” Sabrina Ribas, spokesperson for Civil Defense, told journalists.
These efforts are expected to be hampered “to some extent” in the coming days given the forecast for “heavy rain” from Friday, she warned.
– Solidarity –
In a sports complex in the center of the regional capital, a shelter welcomes 450 victims – as well as around forty dogs and a little pig.
Volunteers sort duvets, warm clothes and even baby diapers on site. “I didn’t lose anything, but I didn’t feel good staying at home. Helping is a human thing,” says Tauane Bassoler, 26, while folding clothes.
In the gymnasium, hundreds of people spent the night on mattresses placed on the floor.
For Vinicius Kaster, the city’s undersecretary for Sports and director of the accommodation center, the objective is clear: to welcome the victims “with love and dignity”.
The water also rose in state prisons, which requested federal aid after running out of drinking water, according to the NGO Criminal Justice Network. In Charqueadas prison, a group of inmates had to be transferred to upper floors.
Gestures of solidarity in the face of the scale of the disaster also come from abroad.
Pope Francis sent 100,000 euros to help care for evacuees, according to the Vatican News website.
Elon Musk, for his part, announced on his X network that his company Starlink was going to donate a thousand internet terminals to the rescue teams. “I hope the best for the Brazilian people,” added the billionaire, recently entangled in a standoff with Brazilian justice.
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