Traders calculate losses after the flood that devastated Mimoso do Sul, in ES: ‘We will fight and do it again’ | South of ES

The municipality of Mimoso do Sul, in the south of Espírito Santo, is one of those that suffered the most consequences from the heavy rains that hit the region in the early hours of Saturday (23), accounting for 18 of the 20 deaths confirmed in the state so far. The flood and mud left shops and homes destroyed. Business owners are still trying to clean the establishments, and most expect total loss of goods and equipment.

Gazeta Meio Dia: Special live edition of Mimoso do Sul shows rain damage

Maythê Bullos, owner of a pharmacy in the city center, says that on Friday (22) she was at the store to take some products off the shelves when she received rain warnings. The idea was to try to minimize possible losses, but the amount of water was much higher than expected. She had no choice: the goods were taken. Others remained floating, dirty, in the store.

“We came and lifted things because we expected it to rain like it always does, when it rises by about 30 centimeters. But it’s all over. I lost my pharmacy, it was 15 years lost, it’s desperate”, he said.

In tears, the owner of the place asks for help for her and so many other traders in the region who are in the same situation. She said she didn’t know where to support her family.

“The ceiling is falling on our heads, we can’t get things out, there’s nothing to get from to start over, there’s nothing left! Look at this city, we need help”, she lamented.

Like Maythê, Nivaldo da Silva is another city merchant who still calculates the losses suffered. In his case, the popsicle and ice cream factory suffered the greatest destruction. Anyone who passed by the establishment in recent days saw a mountain of lost popsicles being removed from the place. He estimates a loss of 100,000 units.

“Look at the situation: I lost two freezers, machinery, stock, 50 bags of sugar, a cold room, material to make açaí, and the popsicles […], 100 thousand popsicles. Now I have to wait on God, I don’t even know what to do,” she said.

This Tuesday (26), Dinomar dos Anjos, owner of a clothing store in the center of Mimoso do Sul, counted on the help of friends and family to begin removing lost merchandise from his establishment.

Surprising those who passed by, he kept a smile on his face, even in the face of such a tragedy, and while he was doing this work he still maintained the hope of being able to reverse the situation.

“My entire stock was gone. I lost all the things in my store, but life remains. We have life, the breath of life, we will fight and achieve it again. I just tell everyone: ‘We have hope, God in our hearts, and let’s all work and we’ll achieve it’”, said Nivaldo.

The businessman estimates R$1.2 million in losses on merchandise. “I took a truck of clothes out of the store, but there’s still enough merchandise inside to fill at least two more of those,” he said.

The governor of Espírito Santo, Renato Casagrande, and members of the federal bench met this Tuesday morning (26) with the minister of Integration and Regional Development, Waldez Góes. The theme of the meeting was the reconstruction of the 13 municipalities in the southern region of the state hit by heavy rains last weekend.

Casagrande delivered the initial report with the demands for urban, rural and road infrastructure, in addition to housing, with an estimated cost of R$743 million. According to the document, it will be It is necessary to build 560 new housing units, in addition to repairing almost 1,700 homeswith a planned investment of R$275.3 million.

Furthermore, the state government foresees the need to restore sections of state highways and bridges, as well as contain landslides at various points. The report also cites the need to restore pavement and road signage. In total, the investment required for this axis is R$124.3 million.

According to the Agency for the Development of Micro and Small Businesses and Entrepreneurship (Aderes), 98% of traders in the 13 cities in the south of Espírito Santo that were affected by the rains are micro and small entrepreneurs.

To help these traders who were affected by the floods, the state government announced special lines of credit, at zero cost, with no interest or bank operating fees. The amount to be requested is up to R$21,000, with a grace period of 12 months to start paying and another three years to pay the amount in installments.

For medium and large business owners, another line of credit was created, and the amount requested can reach R$500,000.

The bills are still being prepared and will be sent to the Legislative Assembly of Espírito Santo. The expectation is that credit lines will begin to be offered in the first week of April.

This Wednesday morning (27), Governor Renato Casagrande announced the increase in the value of the Reconstruction Card, from R$3,000 to R$3,500, per family that is on the federal government’s Single Registry, if approved by the Legislative Assembly of Espírito Santo. See who is eligible and how to make the request here.

“It’s another way for us to help the people of these 13 cities affected by the rains to regain normality in their lives. We will send the bill to the Assembly. After approval, we will begin payment”, he said via social media.