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The city and state administration worked hard to restore electricity and water supply promptly, enabling people to remove their damaged belongings and start cleaning up their homes. Yet, the suitability of the tap water for consumption is highly dubious, because of likely contamination.
The federal and state governments, as well as governments of nearby municipalities, dispatched trucks and personnel to support the cleanup efforts. Roads and streets are being repaired, but access to town and transit in town are still difficult.
Home insurance is not common in Brazil, and particularly not for people in modest homes in a small town like South Saint Lawrence. Therefore, people who lost their belongings (which were either soaked or swept away in the torrent) will have to spend their savings to refurbish their homes. The government can only offer loans, not grants.
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While there’s no right timing for a tragedy, South Saint Lawrence has been outshadowed by a much greater disaster—the major earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March 11th, one day after the flood in South Saint Lawrence. National and international media has turned to Japan, making it difficult to call attention to the very real and terribly sad situation going on in South Saint Lawrence right now.
People fear looting, as many people lost almost everything they owned and are particularly desperate. The dubious quality of tap water and the filthy mud that covers the town are likely to cause a major public health issue. Finally, more rain in abnormally large amounts is forecast for the area, which could hamper the reorganization efforts and put the town at greater risk.
Solidarity is the word of the moment. Neighbors are helping each other, in a city-wide collective effort. The half of the town who was not directly affected by the flood is helping the other half—their relatives and friends! Populations of cities throughout the state are sending donations.
While all those efforts are significant, they are not enough, in view of the magnitude of the damages, the proportion of the low-income population in town, and the long list of needs, including:
- Drinkable water
- Food
- Cleaning supplies
- Personal hygiene items
- Mattresses
- Linens
- Household appliances
How can I help?