The images of the advancing waters covering the regions of Porto Alegre located on the banks of the Guaíba in brown are impressive and frightening. They bring despair. There are thousands and thousands of homeless people. People who had to flee their homes.
However, just walk a few blocks and see that the landscape begins to change.
The water on the sidewalk disappears. The light now appears. Traffic flows more smoothly. The cafe has customers. People do physical exercise.
It’s not that regions not affected by the waters and their residents are ignoring what is happening. On the contrary. Practically every conversation revolves around this. Everyone is being impacted in some way, but the pace is different. The sound is different.
And this was very evident throughout this Wednesday, so atypical in Porto Alegre. With classes suspended, children are on the streets and in the square. Or even neighborhood stores, which have items on their shelves, despite the lack of water that prevails everywhere. The supply itself has been the service that ended up impacting all Porto Alegre residents in some way.
But returning to the path leaving Cidade Baixa, passing through Parque da Redenção and arriving in the Bom Fim neighborhood, the atmosphere changes. Even without water in the streets, the region is feeling the consequences of the flood. Markets and supermarkets have a shortage of some products, such as eggs and flour, and it is possible to see empty shelves and queues at those most stocked. In general, the consequences of the flood are already felt.
Some commercial establishments are not operating, but are receiving donations to help those affected. In other stores, people buy clothes and hygiene items because they left everything behind to escape the advancing waters. The light has remained unstable over the last four days, making it difficult to achieve “normality” in the routine. Furthermore, many residents are welcoming friends from affected areas, such as Cidade Baixa and Menino Deus.
And those who sought shelter in neighborhoods far from the tragedy were surprised by the difference between the “dry” part of Porto Alegre and those they experienced firsthand.
In the Jardim do Salso neighborhood, far from the central region, fluctuations in the water supply have been the main problem. Even so, rationing continues on the part of residents, in a gesture of solidarity with the rest of the city.
Another movement was a natural emptying of the neighborhood, with the migration of many people to the north coast, despite not being affected by the waters. In the Petrópolis neighborhood, a residential region about a 20-minute drive from the center, there was mostly water and electricity this Wednesday. And many residents have received people from other locations to provide support, such as a shower or even a space to rest.
However, just look out the window of one of the apartments and see that life seems practically normal. The little square has good movement of children, especially due to the heat.
Some people who were avoiding leaving their homes due to the collapse of Porto Alegre, the landscape on the street is frightening. There is little movement of cars in some neighborhoods, which almost gives the feeling of a “Sunday”, as in the Lomba do Pinheiro neighborhood, on the other side of the capital of Rio Grande do Sul.
