In Belford Roxo, residents had their houses completely flooded

In Belford Roxo, one of the municipalities hit by heavy rain this weekend, residents were still recovering from the last flood, in 2022, when once again, their homes and commercial establishments were invaded by water and mud. Along the streets, which are still flooded and full of mud, pieces of furniture, mattresses and household utensils are piled up. People queue up to register for government programs and receive aid.

Sisters Noemia Almeida Ferreira and Danielle Almeida Ferreira are sitting on the sidewalk, in front of the houses that were completely flooded.

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“That’s all we have to do, it’s just here to stay”, they say.

In Noemia's house, little was saved. She and her daughter are sharing a sofa, which is still damp for sleeping: “I have nothing,” she says, showing the rooms of the house with the destroyed stove and the closet with the doors swollen with water.

Danielle Ferreira lives in the house behind her sister. She managed to save the mattress. But the refrigerator she just bought was lost. “I was very ill. At the station, they treated me very well. I'll show you the recipe. Even now my voice is a bit affected. It’s all because of the flood.” In a corner, she placed all the belongings she managed to save from the waters that reached halfway up the wall on a table. “They said not to go down yet because there will be more rain.”

In a house next door, there is their mother, Maria da Paz, 64 years old. She is lying on the floor. In a room with what was left after the flood.

“Look at this, take it. My expensive medicines went down the drain. I'm out of medicine, I'm feeling sick. There is no medicine, I have nothing”, says Paz.

She looks around: “We are living the life of pigs. There isn’t even any water, since Saturday they turned off the water at night.”

The third sister, who also lives close to the rest of the family, Nágila Almeida Ferreira, swept the house with what was left. “Let’s find a way,” she says. She also experienced the 2022 flood there, but said this one was worse. The water reached the height of her husband's chest, which she says was quite high.

“It was very fast. It filled up and was shocking. For us not to die in here, we had to go outside and leave everything behind. I didn't even want to step inside here, because I didn't even want to see it. Do you understand?”, she says.

The sisters say they have difficulty accessing benefits and receiving emergency items such as food baskets. The demand is high and when it's their turn, it's over. They have a few bottles of mineral water and no food. The region where they live is close to the Botas River, which has overflowed its banks.

Queues in the sun

With thermometers showing 40 degrees Celsiusa line of people waits, in the sun, for assistance to obtain the Recomeçar card, a benefit offered in a single installment by the state government's State Secretariat for Social Development and Human Rights.

Mariana Rodrigues da Silva tries to access the document number. “To register to try to get the card, I need a PIS number [Programa de Integração Social]but my documents, everything was gone, my work card, everything was in the flood, how am I going to get a number now?,” he says.

She lives alone in one room. “I lost everything girl, inside my house, everything. I live in a small room and I lost everything. And I'm struggling to do this business here [cartão Recomeçar]. Everywhere he goes, nothing happens. Everything is full, you can’t get anything anywhere.”

Right behind her, Marcos Antônio Cruz shares the internet on his own cell phone so she can access the document numbers on the internet. He also lost everything in the flood. “When the rain came, it came with a vengeance. I live in the center of Belford Roxo, in the lower part, next to the balloon. And the rain filled everything. Inside my room the water was up to my waist. I have small grandchildren, we had to put them on something. We lost everything. Kitchen cabinets, mattress, bed linen, clothing. We lost everything, food… It was a surreal thing,” he says. n

Márcia da Rocha, who was also waiting in line, had her house flooded for the first time after 62 years in the same residence. “We didn’t expect it because it never filled up like this. It's very revolting, you fight to have things and lose them so quickly. It's very bad, very sad. Only those who pass by know. And it’s my first time, imagine you already lost the other time.”

Second flood

This is the second flood that destroys the Trailer do Moisés snack bar. Joice Coelho, Moisés de Araújo's wife, cleaned what was left after the flood. She showed some soft drinks and a shelf with some bread. The refrigerators and computer were completely damaged. This is the second time the restaurant has experienced flooding. In 2022, Araújo even used a boat with a motor to help people during the flood.

“Saturday we went shopping to work. We arrived here on Sunday afternoon, when the water started to recede. It was the stuff all though. Freezer, refrigerator, the purchases we sell, right? Pizza, burgers, everything, everything. It was all, there it is, everything in the trash, bacon, cheese, ham, mozzarella, everything, everything you can imagine.”