A horse was rescued this Thursday morning after spending more than a day stranded on the roof of a house in Canoas, in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, one of the most affected by the rains in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Teams arrived at the scene to remove the animal in fire boats and boats.
The images broadcast live by TV Globo show the moment when a group of rescuers climbs onto the roof, uses equipment to tie the animal and places it in the boat. The rescue puts an end to a story that mobilized Brazilian authorities, artists and influencers.
Several government agencies and volunteers had announced that they would attempt the rescue, which was considered complicated due to the risk of the horse becoming frightened and falling. An Army team was mobilized, according to First Lady Rosângela Silva, known as Janja.
The first lady published a video showing four men in uniform getting into a helicopter and stated that among them were veterinarians. The state Civil Defense of Rio Grande do Sul also reported this Thursday morning that it was studying how to rescue the animal.
https://twitter.com/GloboNews/status/1788202250067705912
In the images released by TV Globo on Wednesday, the animal was trying to balance itself with two paws on each side of the roof, occupying the only space in the structure that had not yet been hit by water. He appeared desolate, with nowhere to go, in the middle of a completely flooded area. Any movement could make it fall.
The scene was recorded by the television channel’s helicopter, which was covering the floods in the city. There is no information about who owned the animal or what happened to it.
In the midst of the tragedy, many animals were left stranded in need of help. Several agencies and volunteers are working to rescue animals in areas affected by the floods.
Furthermore, some animal protection organizations and independent groups are also trying to help animals, by finding their owners or looking for new homes for them.
According to the Canoas city council, the Municipal Animal Welfare Department rescued more than 30 thousand animals stranded by the rains and were rescued alive in recent days. The municipality has around 30 places that welcome these animals.
The city also improvised a shelter for pallets for pets. The wooden boxes serve as shelter for dogs and cats rescued from flooded houses.
Donations needed
With around 350 thousand inhabitants, Canoas is the most populous city in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, with the exception of the capital, which is home to around 1.3 million people.
Half of the city is under water, with queues of up to a thousand people for food, which is being distributed by the municipality — but there is not enough food for everyone.
This Wednesday, Mayor Jairo Jorge made an appeal: “We now have around 600 people waiting and food for just 100. We need a lot of donations,” he said.
According to the numbers he presented, almost half of the population – 153 thousand people – have been evacuated from their homes since last Friday, when the force of the waters broke two dikes and the city was practically submerged.
The muddy water reached the roofs of the houses, most of which were made of wood, a material that cannot withstand being wet for long periods of time. The mayor’s forecast is that around 70 thousand properties, including residential, commercial and industrial, will have to be rebuilt.
As it is located in the Jacuí delta, formed by the river of the same name, in addition to receiving flow from the Caí, Sinos and Gravataí rivers, which flow into Lake Guaíba, Canoas was directly affected by the historic flood.
The municipal management is now developing an engineering plan to make the drainage system work in reverse, to drain the water that invaded the city back into the rivers.
News updated at 4:30 pm on May 9, 2024 to report the animal’s rescue.
Exclusive PÚBLICO/Folha de S.Paulo
PÚBLICO respected the composition of the original text, with the exception of some words or expressions not used in Portuguese.
Tags: Horse trapped roof floods Rio Grande Sul rescued Brazil
--
