Emergency Update: Convoy Providing Relief to Historic Flooding in Brazil
Photo above: Volunteers gather in order to help residents evacuate from an area flooded by heavy rains in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
June 5, 2024 | 4:44 p.m.
Convoy of Hope is working in southern Brazil, where severe flooding has displaced over half a million people, killed 169 people, and destroyed entire communities.
As part of the response, Convoy provided a truckload of food to a shelter run by a local church in downtown Porto Alegre. These supplies will help the church serve families and continue to shelter them for several months.
The city of Lajeado is one of the most affected by the floods — almost all houses there have been destroyed. Convoy has served families in the city with hygiene supplies, cleaning products, and food kits.
While families navigate what recovery will look like in the coming months and years, Convoy of Hope is there to help fulfill their immediate needs.
May 23, 2024 | 11:43 a.m.
Convoy of Hope is on the ground in Brazil, assessing needs while working with partners to distribute relief supplies. Convoy is distributing food kits, hygiene kits, cleaning supplies, and more.
Nearly three weeks have passed since the initial heavy rains in Rio Grande do Sul. Water levels are still too high for many residents to return home. The floods caused extensive damage, destroying roads and bridges and displacing more than 600,000 people.
An additional concern is waterborne bacterial disease like leptospirosis and hepatitis B.
“There are those who die during the flood and there is the aftermath of the flood. The lack of potable water itself will mean that people will start using water from reservoirs that is not of good quality,” Paulo Saldiva, a professor at the University of Sao Paulo medical school, told the Associated Press.
Clean drinking water is a vital part of Convoy’s disaster responses. Whether it’s through bottled water or water filters, Convoy helps ensure disaster survivors have access to safe drinking water.
May 16, 2024 | 9:32 a.m.
The need in Brazil is growing. As the streets of entire cities in southern Brazil turn into slow-moving rivers and floodwaters rise, this continuous disaster has forced more than half a million people to flee their homes with nothing more than they can carry. And the rain is expected to continue.
The cold temperatures of Brazil’s approaching winter exacerbate an already difficult situation for families left vulnerable to the elements.
Convoy of Hope is responding to this need with winter clothing, food, water, mattresses, and blankets, as well as hygiene kits and food kits, which Convoy partners have already begun distributing to families in need.
Convoy team members have arrived in Brazil, further assessing the needs of families and working with local vendors and partners to ensure additional relief supplies make it as quickly as possible into the hands of those who need them most.
May 10, 2024 | 9:48 a.m.
Convoy of Hope is responding in Rio Grande do Sul, a southern state in Brazil that is experiencing the worst flooding it’s seen in 80 years. In collaboration with partners, Convoy is providing lifesaving food kits and water to families affected by the floods.
Starting in late April, Rio Grande do Sul saw 70 percent of a month’s worth of rainfall within just four days. Heavy rain has continued into May and is expected to continue. The flooding has killed 100 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. More than 130 people are missing.
Hundreds of homes are already completely submerged under water. Survivors have been rescued from rooftops, rescue teams have used surfboards to paddle people through the floodwaters, and entire cities have been evacuated.
“I only took my documents, three shirts, two pieces of underwear, and my flip-flops. All the rest is gone,” Heitor da Silva, a 68-year-old man, told the Associated Press. “I already had very little, but that stayed there. When I go home, there will be nothing. Then what?”
With more than 230,000 people displaced, help is vital. Many people evacuated with nothing but the clothes on their backs or what they could carry in a small bag. While communities think about what recovery looks like after the rain stops and the floods recede, Convoy is there to meet their immediate needs.
