Known for its own battles against floods, Bahia is mobilizing to find better ways to help the population of Rio Grande do Sul who have been suffering from heavy rains since the end of April. According to the RS Civil Defense bulletin, to date, more than 90 people have lost their lives.
“Never, in the history of the State, has there been a calamity of this magnitude. It’s something very sad for us to see”, says the director of the Centro Gaúcho da Bahia, José Lazzari, 68 years old. Living in Bahia for around 46 years, José is from the municipality of Bento Gonçalves, in Serra Gaúcha, one of the most affected regions. He received information that many groups with jet skis, quad bikes and jeeps have come together to rescue people and he himself has suffered losses. “My family is safe, but a couple of friends died and the daughter is missing”, he laments.
The Centro Gaúcho da Bahia has been asking for donations via Pix to help the population of RS, sharing data from two initiatives on social media: SOS Rio Grande do Sul and Unidos por Bento. “Due to the situation of the roads, they are not advising the direct sending of items, but rather financial donations so that what is necessary can be purchased”, he explains.
Care
Attention: carefully check the information about the donation destination. Unfortunately, malicious people have been running scams.
The balloon pilot, Reginaldo Sousa, from Santo Antônio de Jesus (Recôncavo Baiano), saw the situation in RS up close. He and the team arrived in Torres on April 30th to participate in the International Ballooning Festival that would take place from May 1st to 5th. “They were days of terror and a lot of sadness, because we saw people losing everything, all the time”, remembers the athlete.
Porto Alegre airport was closed, but they managed to return through Joinville (Santa Catarina), with difficulty. “There were broken containment barriers, landslides, a collapsed bridge, a lot of rain, lightning… (…), it was truly terrifying”, says Reginaldo.
The last major flood in RS was in 1941. Journalist Oscar Paris, 59 years old, in Bahia for 33 years, is from Porto Alegre and says that anyone born in the 1960s grew up hearing the story of this flood. “Few took it seriously. In the center of Porto Alegre there is a huge retaining wall that we always find ridiculous because it deprives us of the view of the uaíba. Now, half a century later, if it weren’t for that wall, the situation there would be even worse”, he acknowledges.
With family and countless friends in several cities in Rio Grande do Sul, the feeling in Paris is one of anguish. “I went to Centro Gaúcho da Bahia to find out how to make donations and I am in contact with my sisters and nephews who are there and safe, but this distance leaves us with our hands tied. (…) I know that my fellow countrymen are, in a way, with their hands tied too, waiting for the rains to stop”, he points out.
In addition to Centro Gaúcho, solidarity actions are being adopted by other organizations. One of them is Cáritas Brasileira Regional Nordeste 3 (Bahia and Sergipe), which has sought to increase donations through the network across the country. “One of our regional departments in RS even had to be rescued from a roof and is now helping to welcome the homeless. It is a terrifying situation, but we are doing everything we can to help and thinking about post-emergency actions”, says the coordinator of Cáritas Regional Northeast 3, Gerinaldo Lima.
“In addition to publicizing the donations, we think it is important to open this dialogue about climate change and our role in it and the consequences we are seeing once again. We also call for a greater sense of solidarity among people and for those who are suffering not to lose hope”, appeals Dom Dirceu, bishop of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB). (The Afternoon/Salvador)
