On Monday, Brazilian President Lula da Silva flew over the areas hardest hit by the heavy rains that left at least 36 dead and 40 missing in the state of São Paulo, praising the collective work of those responsible “even in different parties “.
More than 500 people, including police, firefighters and members of the armed forces, are helping to rescue and identify the victims this Monday. The worst affected municipality is São Sebastião, on the coast of the state of São Paulo, where 35 of the 36 died, according to the latest official balance.
The severe storm forced 1,717 people from their homes, while flooding and landslides buried and damaged homes in the region. This catastrophe occurred during carnival festivities, during which the coastal cities of São Paulo receive large numbers of tourists.
“I wanted to show you a scene that you haven’t seen in Brazil for a long time: a governor, a president and a mayor sitting at a table or in front of a microphone, because of a common thing that concerns us all.”said Lula da Silva, along with the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas, from Jair Bolsonaro’s party, and the mayor of São Sebastião, who is a member of the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB).
“The presence of Governor Tarcísio, Felipe, the mayor and the federal government is a demonstration that it is possible for us to exercise our role in democracy, even if we belong to a different party or think differently ideologically”emphasized Lula da Silva.
Tarcísio de Freitas, who was infrastructure minister in Jair Bolsonaro’s government, thanked the “support and comfort” and said it is time to work in a “cooperative regime”. During the press conference, quoted by Agência Brasil, the Brazilian president also asked the mayor of São Sebastião to investigate the sites and destroyed houses and guaranteed that the Brazilian state will help rebuild.
“You will have another nest, to provide for your family”, he assured, recalling that after similar disasters a dozen years ago, housing still needs to be built. The government has already declared a state of emergency in the region.
According to the São Paulo Civil Protection, some cities on São Paulo’s north coast have recorded the amount of rain expected for the entire month of February in the past 24 hours. In São Sebastião alone, the volume in the past 24 hours was double the expected average for the whole month.
Source: DN
