One week after significant flooding, more than 80% of people in Porto Alegre, a city in southern Brazil, lack access to flowing water.
Brazil’s Porto Alegre — On Tuesday, the mayor of a significant southern Brazilian city begged the populace to follow his order to restrict water use, as around 40% of the people live without running water and a week has passed since severe flooding that has claimed the lives of at least 90 people and left over 130 more missing.
More rain was predicted for the area into next week, so rescue operations for those left stranded by the floods in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul were still underway. Due to the inundation, Porto Alegre’s main routes are blocked, the airport and bus station are closed, and the city is all but shut off.
Among the extreme weather disasters occurring globally are the floods in Brazil.
Maria Vitória Jorge, a yoga instructor, is leaving her apartment building in downtown Porto Alegre because it flooded. She took out approximately 8,000 reais ($1,600) from her savings to rent an apartment for her and her parents in a different section of the state.
Jorge, 35, was getting ready to go when she remarked in her car, “I can’t have drinkable water, wash the dishes, or even take a shower at home.” For the 200-kilometer (125-mile) drive to the city of Torres, which is now unharmed by the floodwaters, she only had one gallon of water.
Due to the unavailability of five out of the six water treatment facilities in Porto Alegre, Mayor Sebastião Melo issued an order on Monday stating that water could only be used for “essential consumption.”
Melo told reporters, “We are living in an unprecedented natural disaster and everyone needs to help.” “People will need to travel to the soccer fields where I am delivering water trucks in order to obtain their water in bottles. I can’t make them go back to their homes.
Drinking water is the most pressing requirement, but there is also a shortage of food and personal hygiene supplies. Donations for Rio Grande do Sul are being transported in trucks by other Brazilian states.
On Tuesday, supermarkets in Porto Alegre had enormous lineups and barren shelves. Since the weekend, a few people have attempted to get bottled water, but they have only been able to locate two five-liter (1.3-gallon) bottles at a time.
Because so much of the area is still underwater, public health experts warn that the risk of disease is also rising. They specifically point out that cases of leptospirosis, a bacterial illness, and dengue fever could both spike in a matter of days.
Adriano Hueck was trying to get medication from a friend’s partially flooded warehouse on Tuesday.
“There’s still a chance it can be useful in hospitals if we can salvage some of it,” Hueck, 53, said, gesturing to another area of the city. “There, someplace, is my house. Now, not even the roof is visible.
Those in Rio Grande do Sul who can go are doing so, much like Jorge the yoga instructor, out of worry for food shortages and sickness. However, because major access highways are obstructed by floodwaters, many find it difficult to leave Porto Alegre. Both the city’s main bus terminal and airport are submerged under water and will remain closed for some time.
About a hundred residents of a nearby slum pitched tents on the road near the airport, intending to return to their shacks on tiny boats in an attempt to save some of their possessions. A few pork portions were cooked on makeshift barbecues.
The National Meteorological Institute reports that although the rain has ceased for the time being, additional intense rain, mostly in the southern portion of the state, will begin to fall on Tuesday night due to an impending cold front. By early Wednesday, there could be more than 150 millimeters of rain—nearly six inches.
Governor Eduardo Leite of Rio Grande do Sul sent out an alert late on Monday night for a number of cities near the massive Patos Lagoon. Porto Alegre and neighboring towns’ floodwaters flow through the lagoon and into the sea.
He stated in a video shown on his social media accounts, “The water level will rise and it will affect you.” Please heed the warnings and assist us in saving lives. Let’s lessen the harm so that we can work together to reconstruct.
With around 4 million residents, Porto Alegre’s metropolitan area is among the biggest in Brazil.
Over 150,000 individuals have already had to leave their houses due to rain-related damage. An further fifty thousand people have sought safety in temporary shelters such as schools and gymnasiums.
On Sunday, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made his second visit to Rio Grande do Sul, escorted, among others, by Ministers of Defense José Múcio, Finance Fernando Haddad, and Environment Marina Silva.
Authorities expressed their concern on Monday on the possibility of hypothermia given that Wednesday’s high is only expected to be 10 C (50 F). Melo made a request for further blanket donations on Tuesday.
Furthermore, visitors are not the only ones in danger.
Gen. Hertz Pires do Nascimento, the army commander of southern Brazil, told journalists, “Our personnel has been wet for five days, shivering in the cold, staying up all night, in deficient sanitary conditions, because we’re sharing the same facilities with the displaced.”
Pope Francis said he was praying for the people of the state on Sunday at Mass at the Vatican.
Another worry is security. The public security secretariat of Rio Grande do Sul announced in a statement that police will step up their efforts to stop theft and looting. In order to bolster security, Brazil’s national guard is moving to the state.
Even a boat that belonged to the individuals involved in the rescue was taken this morning. Homes and jet skis were pilfered. The Lula spokesperson, Paulo Pimenta, stated during a press conference on Tuesday that “this is disgusting and needs to be condemned.”
Food supplies in the South American nation are probably going to be impacted by the flood calamity as well. Rice, a staple meal in Brazil, is produced in Rio Grande do Sul in 70% of cases.
“I believe that the rains have caused a delay in Rio Grande do Sul’s crop. Thus, in order to maintain production equilibrium, we may need to import beans and rice, Lula stated in a radio interview with Brazil’s state broadcaster.
