To Lusa, a source from the local authority clarified that, with the campaign, the aim is to “provide solidarity” with that city in the northeast of Rio Grande do Sul and in the south of Santa Catarina.
According to the mayor of Porto, the independent Rui Moreira, the floods that are ravaging the Brazilian state “should deserve concern”.
“When calling the perfect from Porto Alegre, Sebastião Melo, to express the solidarity of the city of Porto, he asked me to publicize the support and fundraising campaign”, he says, quoted in a note sent to Lusa, appealing to everyone to to help the “brotherly people”.
Torrential rains have already caused 57 deaths and 67 missing in southern Brazil.
Brazil’s Civil Protection reported that 281 municipalities were affected by the rains, 8296 people were left homeless and 74 were injured. The total number of people affected is almost 400 thousand, according to the newspaper “Folha de São Paulo”.
In the early hours of Friday, the Guaíba River, in Porto Alegre, reached 4.23 meters, the highest level since 1941.
In the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre and in the south of the state of Santa Catarina, “the probability of flooding is very high”, say the authorities.
As for landslides due to rain, the risk is “very high” in Porto Alegre, in the northeast of Rio Grande do Sul and in the south of Santa Catarina.
The governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, explained that security forces rescued a total of 8,000 people.
Tags: Porto Chamber launches campaign Brazilian city Porto Alegre
