Release of emergency funds, Navy aircraft carrier, sending of food in a Neymar plane: initiatives multiplied on Tuesday to help the populations of southern Brazil, who fear a return of rains after historic floods .
The toll of the worst climatic disaster in the history of Rio Grande do Sul, an important agricultural state, continues to worsen: 95 dead, 131 missing and 372 injured, according to the latest report from Civil Defense.
“The figures continue to rise but unfortunately they remain highly imprecise because we are still in an emergency situation,” declared the governor of this state, Eduardo Leite, at a press conference. He warned of the risk of “further heavy rains from Friday (…) which could cause further flooding in already heavily affected areas”.
In Porto Alegre, the regional capital, and in more than 400 localities, more than 159,000 people have already had to leave their homes because of the impressive rise in water levels caused by bad weather throughout the last week.
Shipments of aid and donations from across the country were landed Tuesday in the metropolis, where “the most urgent need is water,” said Sabrina Ribas, of Civil Defense. “I’m at the end of my rope. God forbid I run out of water,” Elizabeth, 67, told AFP as she filled buckets from one of the few taps available in the town of Alvorada, near Porto Alegre. .
Only two of the six water treatment plants are operating and hospitals and accommodation centers are supplied with tankers, the capital’s town hall reported, after having decreed water rationing. “There is no forecast for the system to return to normal,” acknowledged the municipality.
“War”
In the town of Canoas, a suburb of Porto Alegre, boats are going back and forth to rescue residents who had decided to stay at home until the last moment or had not been able to be approached before.
“We were in a room upstairs and the water was up to the sixth step of the stairs. We managed to get out in time, but now we hope the water will go down,” says to AFP Brenda Silveira, 24 years old.
As part of an operation “similar to a war situation”, the Navy is to send the aircraft carrier “Atlantico”, the largest military ship in Latin America, with two mobile sewage treatment plants to the region on Wednesday.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced the opening of “emergency funds” by the federal government for “first aid”. For his part, Governor Leite spoke of the release of “200 million reais (36 million euros) in emergency funds” by the State of Rio Grande do Sul.
Some 15,000 soldiers, firefighters, police officers and volunteers are mobilized to rescue the victims. Countries like Uruguay and Argentina, neighbors of Rio Grande do Sul, have provided or made available relief equipment and specialized personnel.
Many celebrities have also gotten involved. Football star Neymar chartered a plane full of food. “I pray that everything returns to normal,” he wrote in an Instagram message illustrated with photos showing the plane full of food boxes and water bottles.
Worrying weather
As scenes of desolation follow one another, the weather forecasts are worrying. The National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet) predicts bad weather representing “great danger” in the far south of the state until Wednesday, with rain of more than 100 mm in this hitherto rather preserved area.
Rain is also expected in the center and north of the state, which could worsen by the end of the week, warned meteorologist Catia Valente. Aggravating circumstance, a drop in temperatures is predicted.
The Guaiba River, which crosses Porto Alegre and its region, reached 5.28 meters on Tuesday, still a historic level. Alongside rescue operations, ensuring security is an additional challenge, while reports of burglaries inside evacuated homes add further tension.
Local authorities announced an increase in police force and called for the mobilization of other security forces. They also promised to crack down on the dissemination of “fake news” about the tragedy, which further complicates the work of rescuers.
This article was automatically published. Sources: ats / afp
