(ft) The flood that hit the region of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil it destroyed roads, bridges, dams, churches and houses, while the partial number of victims officially communicated by the local authorities is 75 and around 200 missing. Porto Alegre, Encantado, Santa Tereza, Bento Goncalves, Estrela, Santa Maria, Villa Prata, San Leopoldo Guaporè, Serafina Correa, Gramado, Mucum are the most affected municipalities. The City of Encantado, in particular, is linked to the city of Rieti since from 1900 to 1910 Father MAssimo Rinaldi, then Bishop of Rieti from 1924 to 1941 and declared Venerable in 2005, worked there as a Scalabrinian Missionary. A link, therefore, with Rieti and with a much loved character from our area.
In the municipalities affected by the flood in Brazil, people took refuge on the roofs of their houses and in the trees waiting for help to escape the fury of the water. There is a lack of food and drinking water, there is no electricity, telephone lines and internet connections have failed. city of 1.4 million inhabitants. The Guaiba River, which flows through the city, reached a historic level of 5.04 meters (16.5 feet), well above the previous record of 4.76 meters in 1941. Authorities ordered the evacuation of people neighborhoods submerged as rescuers used four-wheel drive vehicles – and even jet skis – to maneuver through waist-deep water in search of trapped people. In addition to the 69,200 Porto Alegre residents forced to abandon their homes, civil protection said more than one million people lack access to drinking water due to the floods, which have caused “incalculable damage.” President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived in Rio Grande do Sul on Sunday with most members of his government, to discuss relief and reconstruction efforts with local authorities.
In the photo, the Mother Church of San Pietro a Encantado, modernized by Father Massimo Rinaldi during his years as a Scalabrinian Missionary and today submerged by water. Next, the situation due to the flood
Photo: RietiLife ©
