Sunday, May 5th. I’m in Porto Alegre, capital of Rio Grande do Sul, amid the chaos of the worst climate disaster in the state’s history.
At the time of writing, a large part of the metropolitan region is flooded, 70% of the city is without water supply, several neighborhoods do not have electricity – and a war operation was mounted to rescue flood victims.
Water from the heavy rains that overflowed rivers and destroyed entire cities in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul last week reached the capital and flowed into Lake Guaíba from Friday (3).
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The lake that bathes the capital filled and reached a record height of 5.32 meters in the early hours of Sunday. The previous mark was 4.76 meters, recorded in a historic flood in 1941.
The Porto Pier – which in March was the stage for the South Summit, an innovation event – was swallowed by the waters and disappeared. Postcards of the city, such as the Public Market, the Casa de Cultura Mario Quintana and the Guaíba waterfront – are only accessible by boat.
“The flood was so big that it reached 50 meters from my parents’ apartment, who live in a neighborhood 1 kilometer away from Guaíba”
The drone scenes showing the flooded city, which went viral on social media, do not give the dimension of the impact on the city’s daily life. This Sunday, according to Mayor Sebastião Melo, 70% of the capital is without water. The shortage occurs because four of the six treatment plants are flooded and without electricity.
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My neighborhood is among those affected. This way, I filled pots, buckets and basins, as the supply should only return when the waters of the Guaíba recede.
In addition to the lack of water, the city center and neighborhoods adjacent to the flood have been without electricity since Friday (3). CEEE Equatorial, an electricity distributor, announced the shutdown of the grid for safety reasons
The lack of water and electricity caused thousands of Porto Alegre residents rushed to the markets to try to stock up on essential products. In two close to my house, mineral water, eggs and toilet paper were already sold out.
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Here, we are isolated. To leave Porto Alegre or reach the city safely, there are only two passable roads, according to authorities: the RS-118 or RS-040. Other roads are flooded or damaged.
The airport has suspended operations after the runway flooded. The bus station and the tracks of the intercity train system are underwater.
Beyond the chaos
In the midst of the tragedy, something stood out more than the chaos: solidarity. I was thrilled at the Civil Defense collection points where I took donations and mattresses, and surprised by the number of volunteers working. Hundreds of ordinary people touched by the suffering of others.
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Volunteers are not just at shelters or collection points. There are many people using their own boats, dinghies and jet-skis to rescue victims in the places most affected by the flood. The turnout was such that Porto Alegre city hall closed the registration of volunteers this Sunday – there were more than 15 thousand registered. I say categorically: without the volunteers, dealing with the tragedy would have been much worse.
The suffering, however, is far from over. Thousands of people remain stranded on rooftops and need to be rescued in the metropolitan region. The Guaíba level is still around 5.30 meters – and, according to experts, it should only drop if there is no heavy rain in the coming days.
That’s the hope. Until then, let’s take care of each other and help those who need it most.
