Floods in southern Brazil have ended the month, leaving dozens of cities underwater and thousands in shelters

A month after heavy rains and the worst floods on record began in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul on April 29, in the far south of the country, leaving at least 169 people dead and 56 missing, dozens of towns remain under water throughout the region, including the state capital of Porto Alegre, where almost 1.5 million inhabitants have come to a complete standstill this Wednesday and have no prospects for the future. Severe floods on May 29, which displaced more than 650,000 people, still prevented 637,000 people from leaving their homes.

Of this vast legion of people who had lost their homes, furniture, clothes, cars and everything else they had managed to do in their entire lives, 50,000 who could not find shelter in the home of family or friends were still on this Wednesday in a hurry order to arrange shelters in schools, gyms, churches and other available premises. They live day by day in these places, with no idea what the future holds, receiving food, clothing and hygiene products donated by Brazilians from all over the country in solidarity with their plight, as well as receiving medical care. , psychological and the love of thousands of volunteers who are somehow trying to minimize the suffering of people of all ages who, before the outbreak of the largest climate tragedy in southern Brazil, did not even know.

This Wednesday, Porto Alegre visited most of its areas, such as Sarandi, Menino Deus and Humaita, to name some of the most affected, still flooded by the waters of the Guaiba River, sewage and rain that stopped for a few hours but soon resumed. After this, the population experienced this drama several times. Today, according to official measurements in Kais Maua, the Guaiba River, which begins to flood the city from a height of 3 meters and reached 5.35 m on May 5, was at 3.83 m, that is, it fell significantly, but on the streets and in houses there was still a lot of water, sewage, dead animals and garbage.

In Canoas, another large city in the Porto Alegre agglomeration, with a population of about 357 thousand inhabitants, several neighborhoods were still flooded this Wednesday, especially those located closest to the river, such as Matias Velho, which has become notorious for two weeks. back to rescue a horse named Caramelo on the roof of a building where she had been stranded for days, surrounded by flood waters several meters high. In El Dorado do Sul, almost all of the 100,000 residents were displaced and are still unable to return to their homes, especially because after 30 days of immersion they no longer exist or have no chance of being reoccupied.

Farther south in the state, the situation isn’t much better. All the water from the main rivers that cross Rio Grande do Sul and first pass through Porto Alegre, then flows into Lagoa dos Patos, the largest in South America, the water level of which is also significantly higher than normal and has already flooded large the city, forcing its inhabitants to also flee, leaving only the clothes on their backs.

In Pelotas, the water released from the lagoon covered several neighborhoods this Wednesday with water levels of more than 85 cm, and in Rio Grande, another important city located even further south, water levels in streets and houses reached almost one meter. . In the state’s central Takwari River Valley, where heavy rains first began a month ago, countless towns remain isolated as bridges connecting them to each other have collapsed.

In a glaring case, bridges connecting the cities of Arroio do Meio and Lajeado were simply swept away by the force of the flood at the very beginning of the tragedy, and temporary ones installed by the army were also washed away last week during another heavy rain. In a situation that is repeated throughout the once rich state with a very strong agriculture and industry that have been completely devastated, the passage between Arroio do Meio and Lajeado is carried out in army boats that carry only five people at a time, all wearing vests. . rescuers, and only when the current allows crossing with minimal safety.

The Lula da Silva government, which has been heavily criticized for its slow response to the tragedy, the state and most cities have announced emergency measures during this month to support those who have lost everything, but the truth is that so far none of this help has been received . actually realized, and if not for the heroic performance of volunteers from all over Brazil, the tragedy would have been even more unbearable. The “immediate” aid of around €927 promised by Lula to each victim to at least cover daily expenses has yet to be paid, with central, regional and municipal governments accusing each other of dishonesty and excess bureaucracy at a time when, In truth, nothing works in Rio Grande do Sul except the solidarity of citizens with each other.