Alagoas continues with more than 7 thousand homeless and displaced after rains

More than 7,000 people remain homeless and displaced in Alagoas after the heavy rains that hit the state since Friday (7).

The most recent balance sheet by the state Civil Defense, released late this Tuesday morning (11), after the water level in the region’s rivers had dropped, shows that there are 3,404 homeless people and 3,959 displaced.

The Monday (10) bulletin reported that there were 25,312 people affected by the rains. The concepts of homeless and displaced are different. Homeless is someone who has lost their home and is in a public shelter. The displaced had to leave their home – not necessarily lost – and they are not in shelters, but in the home of a relative, friend or acquaintance, for example.

Alagoas has 32 municipalities in an emergency situation due to the damage caused by the rains.

This Tuesday morning, a delegation made up of the Ministers of Integration and Regional Development, Waldez Góes, of Development, Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger, Wellington Dias, and of Transport, Renan Filho, visited areas affected by the rains, where rivers of the region overflowed.

The delegation also visited shelters where displaced and homeless families are located. Earlier, the ministers met at Palácio República dos Palmares with the state governor, Paulo Dantas (MDB), and with mayors of municipalities affected by the rains.

In a press conference after the meeting, Minister Wellington Dias said that, initially, R$ 800 per family are being made available, in addition to more than 4,000 basic food baskets for homeless people.

Dias informed that the Bolsa Família payment schedule will be changed so that beneficiaries do not have to wait for the day indicated for receipt. The benefit will be paid on the first date it is received, scheduled for the 19th. The minister also announced the availability of withdrawals from the Severance Pay Fund (FGTS) for workers in the affected municipalities.

Wellington Dias also said that family farmers who lost their plantation will receive aid of R$ 4,600 per family to compensate for the losses. Changes are also being studied in the payment schedule of the Family Farming Strengthening Program (Pronaf) for the renegotiation of loans already granted.

He highlighted the agility of the government of Alagoas and the mayors of the most affected municipalities so that the mapping of the damage was ready soon and there were conditions for recognizing the emergency situation. “This opens up the possibility of assistance, both from the state and the federal government”, stated Dias.

Support

The Minister of Integration and Regional Development, Waldez Góes, highlighted that the support for municipalities affected by the rains in Alagoas will be on an emergency basis and on another based on mitigation, resilience and adaptability for this type of event, based on the plans for humanitarian actions elaborated by the municipalities.

According to Góes, there is still no fixed value for shipping to the states affected by the rains, but the orientation of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) is to provide all necessary support to the state.

“Even if a provisional measure comes out, it may not be enough, but there may be more, because this is linked to the work plans. So much so that President Lula recommends that the support necessary to alleviate people’s suffering be guaranteed, as has been done since January 1st in all states of Brazil,” said Góes.

According to the minister, the second part – reconstruction of the affected infrastructure, housing and other works – will be included in the infrastructure investment plan, announced by the federal government in April.

“We are going to work on two fronts: the response front with respect to humanitarian aid, clearing, cleaning and also the reconstruction front, when there is loss of property, roads, houses. So there’s a whole plan. The national Civil Defense will not wait in the four walls for what the municipalities and the state are going to do, ”he said.

Góes said that whatever is needed will be made available to states and municipalities, according to humanitarian aid plans. “In the end, we will know how much was needed and how much will be released by the federal government to states and municipalities.”

and we will discuss action plans to provide humanitarian assistance, assist in the resettlement and reconstruction of these regions. The union of efforts is a hallmark of the government @LulaOficial and this is fundamental to overcome this difficult moment. pic.twitter.com/Cgmwv5FAcl

— Waldez Goes (@waldezoficial) July 11, 2023

In the interview, Governor Paulo Dantas highlighted the training of municipal civil defenses, by the National Civil Defense, which will speed up the preparation of humanitarian action plans, so that the federal and state governments have the legal conditions to forward aid to city halls.

“Both the government of Alagoas and the federal government will forward resources to the municipalities to help rebuild what was damaged in the municipalities, on the neighboring roads and at other points so that normality returns to these cities”, said Dantas. He informed that a committee will be created with the participation of the mayors to discuss the construction of structural works to minimize the damage caused by the rains.

The Minister of Transport, Renan Filho, stressed the need for structural works to minimize the impacts of the floods. According to him, the folder has already released almost all federal highways that had their traffic interrupted. These are the roads that cross the municipalities of São Miguel dos Campos (BR-101), Belém (BR-316) and São Miguel dos Campos (BR-101).

donations

Banco do Brasil and Fundação BB launched a campaign to help people directly affected by the floods in Alagoas. The foundation has already donated R$500,000. The initiative is part of the structured Humanitarian Aid program, aimed at assistance actions in calamity and emergency situations.

The amounts collected will be destined to Cáritas Brasileira Regional Nordeste II, a non-profit institution that operates in the region and will be responsible for the acquisition and distribution of essential items for people who need help at this time.

To participate in the campaign, donations can be made to account 82.000-8, agency: 1607-1, and PIX Key: [email protected]. It is also possible to donate directly through the BB Play link, accessing the BB app on your cell phone.