Recently social media, especially TikTok, has had viral reports and videos about Rio Grande do Sul, a state located in the southern states of Brazil.
Multiple videos about civilians in cities like Porto Alegre, Lajeado, Encantado, São Leopoldo, and especially the city of Eldorado—which completely disappeared from maps—are totally covered by water. These videos have been going viral for the tragedies that have been occurring in RS (Rio Grande do Sul). People have been losing their lives and many have lost everything they have built over the years. In cities that are entirely submerged by water, the homes, streets, and even bridges are demonstrating the brutal force of the flood; these floods have been getting to parts of cities in which normally no water gets to.
Millions of people, the statistics reaching over 2.1(https://g1.globo.com/google/amp/rs/rio-grande-do-sul/noticia/2024/05/11/mais-de-21-milhoes-de-pessoas-foram-afetadas-pelo-temporal-no-rs-618-mil-estao-fora-de-casa.ghtml), are being affected by this, combined with the fact that 80% of the cities of RS will be affected as well. Multiple audios have also gone viral along with other videos of the victims of this flood: audio of people taking their last breaths, thanking their families for everything they have done. One video highlighted a man who was rescuing other victims of the flood using a boat, and with him were three young children. The man said one of the children had seen a floating doll and she wanted to go get the doll, however, when he went to get the doll, he was left in shock and horror by the fact that it was not a doll, but a dead baby. The man, as he said this in the audio, started to cry and decided that it was too much for him, that it was enough, and he “couldn’t do it anymore today.” The tragedies being spoken in these social media posts are accompanied with comments made by people who are also in RS explaining their current situation and their experiences.
“Having family there, you are always worried and trying to keep in touch with everything going on; it is a constant thought and worry,” said sophomore Thalyta Andrade. This is the reality for many people living here in the U.S. with family in RS.
What hurt the public more was the controversy on Madonna’s show that was happening while people were dying or in other critical situations in RS. More than 60 million reais were contributed to Madonna’s show instead of that money being donated to RS, causing many, like Luquet4 (a Brazilian influencer) to be revolted about it. Luqeut4 gave his respect to Madonna for everything she has done in the music industry, but the fact that $60 million was used for the show and not for the people was infuriating. Many stores that were left in the South are running out of things like food and hygiene products like soap, shampoo, and deodorant: they soon will have no more products.
What made the public even angrier was the importance of the two topics. Before all of the audios went viral, Madonna was the topic that was being the most talked about on the Brazilian side of TikTok. This argument was of importance accompanied by a CNN reporter saying that, “We see so much tragedy in Rio Grande do Sul, we cannot pretend that this isn’t happening, that it is Madonna in Rio de Janeiro.” In other words, the reporter said that, even with a tragedy and catastrophe happening in RS, Madonna’s show should not be ignored.
While there are some people blaming Madonna’s show or the fact that the money did not go towards RS in general, there are others making the argument that the state governor is the person who should really be blamed. Presley Vasconcellos, a Brazilian influencer (@eupresley) decided to talk about the fact that the RS governor has only directed 0.2% of the budget toward climate adaptation. Vasconcellos cited his information from the site about Rio Grande do Sul, where it is proved that the governor sanctioned a law that made measures more flexible to go against the environment, signifying that even if the people are convinced that Madonna might be blamed or that her show might be blamed, the RS governor also has blame and there is no way possible deny this fact.
Vasconcellos talked about how floods and other things like this “happen every year, in all the states like Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, São Paulo, and in various other cities.” He thinks that as a society, the citizens of Brazil are not demanding enough from the authorities to adapt if tragedies like this in RS happen again. The only way to fix it or make the laws that go against environmental well-being is to “go against the man’s actions that make these changes serious, and then create a budget based on disaster prevention.” Vasconcellos is not alone in his opinion, with multiple people in comment sections and other videos talking about the issue. Gui Sampaio, another Brazilian influencer, agrees with him on the fact that Madonna had nothing to do with the situation in RS.
“Brazil is an amazing country, but sometimes the government isn’t so great. We know a lot of things could’ve been avoided if they had just done something,” explained sophomore Sarah Fontaim.
The saying “in the end, it is the people for the people” is being used a lot in this situation. In the majority of videos where people are being rescued or people donating necessities for the victims in RS, it is not the politicians but civilians, the people, who are making donations. People from all states of Brazil, some even from the United States, are donating to the case and opening/publicizing “Vakinhas” (a brand similar to GoFundMe) for donations in the form of money. “Donate if you can, the smallest amounts can help so many people,” said Fontaim.
The civilians of bordering states or cities that were not affected have been building shelters for displaced people/families. With clothes, necessities, and food coming, people have been able to get some help. They still have a long road ahead of them but anything can help.
Heavy rain hit RS again and reports from a few days ago said that the rain will remain heavy for a while. People have been saying once the waters start to lower, it will be a huge cemetery. So far they have found 169 people dead(https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2024/05/26/sobe-para-169-o-numero-de-mortos-pelas-chuvas-no-rio-grande-do-sul-canoas-volta-a-receber-voos-comerciais-nesta-segunda-27), but many are still missing. This flood destroyed the lives of many, taking homes, businesses, and so much more away from civilians. It will take a lot of time and effort to recover what these cities once were. But with determination and money, we can only hope this situation will get better for civilians.
Additionally, If you would like to help you can donate to this government foundation: https://brazilfoundation.org/en/help-rio-grande-do-sul/
