Victor M. is a translator and has dual citizenship: American and Brazilian. He prefers not to have his surname exposed because the prevailing feelings are fear and panic. Victor lives between France and Brazil, more specifically in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilian has a chronic disease that makes movement on the left side of his body difficult. He has to take prescription medication every day.
On Friday (3), the day that Porto Alegre's Salgado Filho airport suspended landings and takeoffs, Victor landed in Porto Alegre, coming from France. The Brazilian passed through the capital of Rio Grande do Sul for an air connection, which never happened. “The bags were left at the airport. We had to run away and we had to leave everything behind. My medicines stayed there,” he reports.
The air terminal will have landing and take-off operations suspended until the 30th, according to the responsible concessionaire.
Victor's passport and all his personal belongings were also left at the airport. The bags didn't even make it through the conveyor belt. The Brazilian spent three days without taking his prescription medication. He had just spent 37 days in hospital and came to Brazil to receive support from a friend.
“I managed to contact the doctor and she wrote a digital prescription. Late last night there were only two pharmacies that had the medicine. The attendant didn't know how to use the digital recipe. I managed to buy the medicine with a lot of struggle,” she says.
Victor is staying in a hotel 400 meters from the Guaíba River. The building is on a hill, which makes it difficult for water to reach, but he shared it with the CNN a photo of the hotel street.
The hotel's drinking water has already run out and employees commented to the Brazilian that the food is also running low. Therefore, it is no longer accepting guests. Due to the difficulty in moving around due to his chronic illness, Victor is unable to walk far in search of food.
“I am in extreme pain, I am in a state of panic. I tried to go out to buy food, but I can't walk more than two blocks. The only place had opened, everything was gone,” she reported.
Material damage
Victor says he had no support from the airline. “They said that anyone who couldn't get a hotel would have to stay at the airport. I estimate that 95% of people stayed at the airport, because the hotel sector is full. They made it clear that there would be no voucher for accommodation or anything,” he said.
“This is affecting my work, my income. I'm a translator. I’ve already spent almost R$10,000”, he says.
According to Victor, the airline rescheduled the flight without warning. The destination, which was Rio de Janeiro, became São Paulo. Then they came back and canceled it. “After more than two hours on the phone and more than ten calls, I had to buy another ticket, with my own money, for next week.”
“I have already traveled to more than 30 countries, they have canceled my flights due to a level 5 hurricane and we received hotel support, everything. Here, they literally said that it’s every man for himself”, he said.
Source: CNN Brasil
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