Rain tragedy in ES: One week later, residents try to rebuild cities without knowing when they will return to normal routine | South of ES

Fight for reconstruction: no prediction of when routine will return to normal in Mimoso do Sul

The night of the 23rd and the early morning of the 24th of March entered the history of Espírito Santo after a flood left trails of destruction in 13 cities in the South Region. The storm swept away vehicles, broke walls and properties, leaving at least 20 dead and more than 15.7 thousand people away from home. A week after the tragedy, completed this Friday (29), thousands of people are still trying to rebuild their lives and don’t know how they will return to their normal routine.

“The feeling we have is that we are the same, every day the same, nothing changes,” said retiree Getúlio.

Deaths resulting from the rain were recorded in Mimoso do Sul (18 victims), where one person remains missing, and also in Apiacá (2 deaths). Mimoso is one of the hardest hit, with the largest number of residents without their homes and a scene of war.

According to the extraordinary bulletin released by the State Coordination of Protection and Civil Defense of Espírito Santo (Cepdec), released at 11 am this Thursday (27), 15,191 people were homeless (who went to the residence of family or friends) and 513 were homeless , that is, they lost their property and were sent to public shelters in Espírito Santo.

Given the volume of rain and the size of the destruction and damage, the state government declared an emergency in 13 cities in the region. They were: Alegre, Alfredo Chaves, Apiacá, Atílio Vivacqua, Bom Jesus do Norte, Guaçuí, Jerônimo Monteiro, Mimoso do Sul, Muniz Freire, Muqui, Rio Novo do Sul, São José do Calçado and Vargem Alta.

In addition to lives lost, the damage includes the loss of clothes, furniture and documents. Many families lost everything. The force of the water broke walls, tore down the walls of homes, invaded stores, schools and public buildings, and swept away cars and trucks.

This Thursday, the Brazilian Navy reported the arrival of a group of 83 marines to help the most affected communities in Mimoso do Sul and Apiacá. The group has 15 vehicles. Teams will work on unblocking roads, transporting special supplies, distributing water, and other activities.

Residents lost property, some relatives, but there is no lack of hope. Since the tragedy, the days are full of new beginnings. Reconstruction begins slowly. As the mud is still heavy, many families continue cleaning homes, businesses, public spaces… There is also no shortage of strength. Many, even after losses, help each other.

The current of solidarity exceeded currency. Capixabas from north to south mobilized and sent water, clothes, food, personal hygiene and cleaning items. It’s a support network.

One of the municipalities hardest hit by the natural disaster was Mimoso do Sul, where 18 of the 20 deaths have been recorded so far; one person remains missing.

According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), 24,475 inhabitants live in the city. After the rains, 5,100 people had to leave their homes, 5,000 of whom were homeless and 100 homeless.

Even a week after the rains, several parts of the city are still covered in mud and no store in the city has managed to resume operations. Traders are still trying to clean the establishments, and most expect total loss of goods and equipment.

One of the traders who lost everything was Victor Azevedo, who had a store focused on photocopying, electronic games and computer maintenance services.

“We couldn’t recover anything. It was a 100% loss. It seems like these five days will turn into 10, 15, 20… It will take a long time for the city to get back to life,” said the merchant.

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. There was no way: 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.

During the storm, considered the worst flood in the municipality’s history, another 150 millimeters of water rained, an amount higher than expected for the entire month of March. In some locations in the south of the state, the volume was 300 mm.

Amidst the scenario of destruction, solidarity became one of those responsible for bringing water, mattresses, blankets, clothes, cleaning products and food to the victims of the rains. Help arrives from all sides.

In Mimoso do Sul, the Mimoso do Sul Dairy Cooperative (Colamisul) headquarters became a donation distribution center. Even an improvised kitchen was set up to serve the residents. Even without much structure, residents and volunteers take turns making lunches for those without homes and even others who are in the city to help.

From Vila Velha, in Greater Vitória, a group of motorcyclists crossed 174 kilometers with three cars loaded with gas cylinders, water, clothes and even a stove. In addition to supplies, motorcycles used on trips are now also used to take donations to neighborhoods that are still difficult to access.

Nearby municipalities also made employees available to help the most affected cities, such as volunteer Hellen Ramalho, who works at Presidente Kennedy City Hall.

“We are separating men’s and women’s clothing to make shipping easier. All of them will be sent today (yesterday)”, explained public servant Hellen Ramalho, a volunteer for President Kennedy.

Still on Sunday (25), one day after the flood, the federal government, through the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development (MIDR), announced that it had sent a team from the department to provide support to municipalities in the south of Espírito Santo affected by the strong rains.

Among the immediate measures taken by the state government, one of them was the provision of the Reconstruction Card for people affected by the rains in the south of Espírito Santo. The benefit worth R$3,500 can be used to purchase furniture, appliances, clothes, food, construction materials or any item that the family considers to be a priority.

On Tuesday (26), the governor of Espírito Santo, Renato 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 necessary to build 560 new housing units, in addition to repairing almost 1,700 homes, with a planned investment of R$275.3 million.