Brasilia.-The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, warned this Tuesday that “the climate tragedy” in the southern region of the country as a result of historic floods “has not yet ended,” after registering at least 90 deaths, 132 missing and extensive damage. materials.
«It is a climate tragedy whose dimension no one imagined and it did not end. The water is going down to other places and will reach other municipalities, and that is very serious,” the president warned in an interview on the EBC public network. Meanwhile, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, and especially in its capital, Porto Alegre, looting and robberies were reported.
According to the latest report from the Civil Defense, the torrential rains of the last week in the state of Rio Grande do Sul have caused at least 90 deaths, 132 missing and nearly 1.4 million affected.
In an interview with RFI, doctor Diana Cascan warns from Porto Alegre about the need to rescue numerous people who are still trapped by the floods that affect that city and hundreds of other towns in the south of Brazil, a country that is experiencing the worst climate catastrophe. in the region.
There is growing concern about the supply of water and food, although the priority is to rescue many people who remain incommunicado.
«What is needed most right now is to rescue people. Because you can only reach certain places by air or water, since land routes are blocked. The rise of the river was about five meters, even more. There are still people who have taken refuge on the roofs of their homes and need to be rescued. Many cannot leave their apartments. There are neighborhoods that are without electricity and without water,” Paraguayan intensive care doctor Diana Cascan tells RFI from Porto Alegre.
«It is very difficult to bring the necessary supplies to the victims because, I repeat, there are no land routes to do so. It is only possible by air. In certain places you have to get off at the Florianópolis airport because the airport in the city of Porto Alegre is closed due to flooding,” adds the specialist.
An estimated 153,000 people in southern Brazil have abandoned their homes due to flooding caused by overflowing rivers in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. In Porto Alegre, the state capital, numerous sectors remain submerged.
The catastrophe multiplies the scenes of despair. Hundreds of residents of this city of 1.4 million have gone out of their way to help people trapped in their homes, in some cases for days.
«There are several cities that are without communication. It is not possible to communicate by telephone. But we don’t know how many. For example, I am a Paraguayan national and our Consulate is trying to reach several hospitals to find out if we have victims or people who need help or are hospitalized,” explains Cascan.
The lack of water is particularly pressing, the Paraguayan doctor also says. «We need water supplies. The water is running out, there is practically no water to drink. There is also a psychological syndrome, people are coming in panic. They are mostly elderly people, hypertensive and diabetic patients, many were left without their insulin. “It is possible that there are children with pneumonia and many more diseases.”
«Although I am dedicated to intensive care, yesterday we were helping in shelters. What we saw most were children who are without their families because they were rescued by people in different places. There are many people who do not have contact with their family because they are in different shelters, without documents. We have patients who need dialysis because they suffer from kidney failure,” says the expert.
«And, at the same time, the waters are infected. We had to transfer them to other hospitals located in higher areas where we were still sure that the water was not infected. Another problem is water consumption. There are diseases such as leptospirosis that can be caused by the consumption of contaminated water (due to the Leptospira bacteria found in the urine of infected animals, such as rodents and domestic animals). This is something I have never experienced. I have at least 18 years of professional activity as a doctor and I have never experienced this,” she concludes.
In the midst of the drama, there are people with “fear of looting,” says Dionis Bellettini, a military police officer from the neighboring state of Santa Catarina who participated in the rescues as a volunteer. Some residents simply “don’t want to go to a shelter.”
The historic flooding of several of the main rivers in Rio Grande do Sul, bordering Argentina and Uruguay, has wreaked havoc in 388 municipalities, including Porto Alegre, the regional capital, and forced almost 200,000 people to leave their homes due to flooding.
On the other hand, the three powers of the nation have mobilized to release resources for humanitarian aid, build shelters and provide assistance to the thousands of victims.
In the interview, Lula, who described the situation in Rio Grande do Sul as “very delicate,” again expressed his solidarity with the gaúcho people, who “did not expect so much suffering in such a short time.”
“We are 100% committed to helping Rio Grande do Sul. Brazil owes a lot to Rio Grande do Sul,” a region with a powerful agricultural sector, and “there will be no shortage of resources to meet its needs,” the social democratic leader promised.
“It is very sad, but I want to guarantee you that the federal government will do everything possible to recover Rio Grande do Sul because Brazil needs Rio Grande do Sul. There will be no lack of effort on our part,” he insisted. Clarín.
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2024-05-11 02:32:39