The Brazilian Embassy in Portugal announced today that a Latam plane departed Lisbon this morning, bound for São Paulo, carrying a first shipment of humanitarian aid for Rio Grande do Sul.
“Today, (…) at 9:50 am, the flight (…) to São Paulo departed from Lisbon, containing a first batch of humanitarian aid of around 300 kg, [space provided by Latam on the aircraft] of goods donated by the Brazilian community in Portugal and by Portuguese citizens, destined for the victims of the floods in Rio Grande do Sul,” the embassy announced on the social network Instagram.
The information was confirmed to Lusa by diplomatic sources in Lisbon.
In this first shipment, according to the embassy, priority was given to sending winter clothing, such as coats, duvets and blankets, due to the low temperatures recorded in southern Brazil.
In the note published on Instagram, the embassy also undertakes, in partnership with the Portuguese authorities, the large Brazilian community and local civil society, to support “the efforts of the Federal Government (…) to transport the entire humanitarian aid collected in Portuguese territory to Brazil, in the coming days, by air and sea”.
At least 152 people died and 104 are still missing due to the floods that are being felt in the south of Brazil, according to the Civil Defense, in a new report.
According to regional authorities, around 615,000 people are homeless.
The state of Rio de Grande do Sul, which borders Argentina and Uruguay, is experiencing the most dramatic situation, with 151 deaths, 90% of municipalities affected and 2.1 million people affected.
With a total population estimated at 11.3 million inhabitants, around 615,000 people were forced to abandon their homes and are now taking refuge in makeshift shelters, dependent on donations or in the homes of friends or family.
In the neighboring state of Santa Catarina, one death was recorded.
In Porto Alegre, capital of Rio Grande do Sul, the waters began to recede after two days without rain and the Guaíba River, which has caused flooding in the city center since May 3, dropped below five meters.
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