Countless stories mark the tragedy that has devastated Rio Grande do Sul over the last few weeks. Perhaps in one of the most moving of these, four members of the same family were found hugging each other underground after the house they were in was hit by a landslide in Roca Sales, in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul.
Five victims were recorded in total: in addition to the father, who was in another room when the earth hit the house, the mother, two children (among them, a 13-year-old girl) and the eldest son’s wife were located.
The Santa Catarina Military Fire Department (CBMSC), which assists with rescues in the neighboring state, responded to the incident last Sunday (5). The landslide that resulted in the tragic deaths would have occurred days earlier, but rescue forces had difficulty reaching the scene due to the complexity of the terrain.
According to firefighters, the house where the family found in Roca Sales was staying was brutally hit by a landslide of around 300 meters amid heavy rain. To get to the residence, teams took a vehicle to a point and, due to the situation there, traveled around 4 km on foot, carrying equipment.
When they arrived at the place where the house was supposed to be, on the morning of the 5th, they almost couldn’t see the house. Still, they continued searching for the family who lived there. “The house was completely destroyed, but some parts were still visible and, therefore, we had a place and evidence to begin the search,” said the Fire Department.
After more than 12 hours of work, which also involved digging, the team finally managed to locate the family. Four of the members were hugging each other in one of the roomsaccording to records made by the fire team.
Storm in RS
Rio Grande do Sul decreed state of public calamity in hundreds of cities. According to Civil Defense, the heavy rains that have hit the state of Rio Grande do Sul since Monday (29) have already affected almost 1.5 million people. According to the most up-to-date data, there are 143 dead, 131 missing, 806 injured, more than 80 thousand in shelters and more than 530 thousand homeless (in the homes of relatives and friends).
How to help?
According to authorities, homeless and displaced people who were welcomed by Civil Defense need not only food, but also mattresses, bed and bath linen and blankets. Anyone who lives in the Porto Alegre region can contribute in person at the State Civil Defense Logistics Center (Avenida Joaquim Porto Villanova, 101, Jardim Carvalho neighborhood, Porto Alegre).
In addition to receiving donations of various items, authorities allow donations of any type of cash value. To allow people from other cities and states to collaborate, the State Government created a Pix key to receive donations. Anyone who wants to contribute, You can make a Pix for CNPJ 92958800000138.
