People from other states are in the same situation, sleeping in their vehicles since Tuesday (30)
Marciliel da Silva Garcia, 37, is one of the drivers who ended up getting stuck since Tuesday (30) on BR-386, a highway in Rio Grande do Sul, in the city of Pouso Novo, near Soledade and Lajeado. He lives in Campo Grande and works shipping and moving a trailer between different states.
The heavy rains and floods that hit the state of Rio Grande do Sul caused several craters to appear on the stretch of highway where he stopped, and there were landslides on the hills that border the road.
“It’s not going backwards or forwards,” Marciliel said today (4) about the situation. The stranded drivers have been sleeping in the trucks for four days, and luckily they got help at a CTG (Gaúcha Tradition Center) close to the road to feed themselves.
He reports that there is no water, electricity or cable internet service working in the region where he is.
Notify families – As his cell phone is the only one that has a working phone line and is accessing the internet, he decided to share the device with the other drivers. “This way, they can let their families know that they are safe,” he says.
“There are more than 200 drivers from different cities and regions in Brazil. From Roraima, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, São Paulo, the state here in Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, in short, different regions “, he speaks.
The driver carries a change that left Porto Alegre (RS) towards Pelotas (RS). He doesn’t know how he will be able to complete the service and when he will be able to remove the vehicle from BR.
Tragedy – As of early this morning, Rio Grande do Sul had recorded 56 deaths due to the rains, which began at the beginning of the week.
According to a Civil Defense bulletin, 281 municipalities were affected, leaving 8,296 people in shelters and 24,666 people homeless. The number of missing people reaches 67. There are 74 injured.
Damage and changes in traffic affect 128 sections of 68 highways, just among state highways, throughout the State. The data considers what was recorded until Friday night (3).d
According to Civil Defense, at least 350,000 residential and commercial locations remain without electricity.
With information from Agência Brasil.
Tags: Landslides craters highway Rio Grande Sul island driver Cities
