By R. Renee Yaworsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
TERESOPOLIS, Brazil—More than 600 people are thought to be dead after severe floods and dangerous mudslides that occurred on January 13 in Brazil. Today, numerous survivors are struggling to endure without much-needed help from their government. At least 14,000 people are believed to be homeless after what is already being called the country’s worst natural disaster.
Rain continues to fall on affected areas, making bad conditions even worse. According to the Associated Press, about 225 federal police officers are working to enforce order and fire departments have reported deploying 2,500 rescue workers. But the poor weather conditions have blocked roads and many areas are unreachable, leaving injured or isolated citizens without aid.
In some areas, the police officers do little more than stand and watch as survivors haul supplies to other neighborhoods in need. Sgt. Luciano Comin, dressed in a neat, clean uniform, said, “Our function here today is to avoid looting.”
Survivors like Wanderson Ferreira de Carvalho are trying everything in their power to stay alive and help others in need. He told the Associated Press that 23 of his family members had perished in the disasters, including his wife and 2-year-old son. Still in a state of shock, he worried about friends and neighbors who remain isolated because of flooded roads.
Carvalho, like other survivors, has been exhausting himself carrying supplies (food, water, blankets) long distances over flooded paths in hopes of saving other victims. “We have to help those who are alive,” he stressed. “There is no more help for those who are dead. I’ve cried a lot and sometimes my mind goes blank and I almost forget what happened. But we have to do what we must to help the living.”
Many residents have expressed doubt that the government will ever attempt to render any aid; they have depended instead on their own willpower and the kindess of friends and relatives. “It has been four days [since the disasters struck],” one survivor said. “The president has flown over, I saw on TV. Is it taking them this long to get organized?” Another citizen, who carried supplies for herself, her mother and infant daughter, accused, “Where is the government? What are they doing? This is shameful.”
President Dilma Rousseff has assigned $60 million in aid but only half of that amount will arrive in local accounts by Monday, six days after the disasters.
The mudslides struck a mountainous area 900 square miles in size, 40 miles north of Rio.
For more information, please see:
NY Times-Rain Hampers Search After Brazilian Mudslides-16 January 2011
AP-Brazil slide survivors left to fend on own-16 January 2011
Examiner-Stories of horror as flood survivors in Brazil without government aid-15 January, 2011
