Families left homeless after the tornado that devastated Rio Bonito do Iguaçu in south-central Paraná state are experiencing anxiety and suffering, not knowing when they will be able to return home. Forty people found themselves evacuated to a shelter in the neighboring town of Laranjeiras do Sul, 18 kilometers away. Thousands more are temporarily staying with relatives and friends.
This Sunday (9th) was sunny and hot, but some people were able to return to the town hit by the tornado by Friday afternoon (7th). Paulo Oidera, 54, who has lived in Rio Bonito since 1988, said: “I was very disappointed to go home because I could hardly see anything on Friday. Today I looked at what was going on. Fortunately, when I got home, I found my documents. Some things were missing, but I managed to get the main documents back.”
He was taken to the shelter on Friday to be with his sons Marcos Paulo, 19, and Adriano, 16. My eldest son just arrived at the shelter this Sunday. He sustained injuries to his leg and was admitted to the hospital in Laranjeiras do Sul.
Since Friday, medical and emergency services in the region have treated 835 people. As of this Sunday, more than 30 people remained hospitalized, four of them in the ICU (intensive care unit).
Five of the six people killed in the strong storm in Paraná lived in Rio Bonito. This Sunday, the bodies of four of them were buried in the parish hall of the Church of San Sebastián in the Campo do Bougre area, which was not affected by the tornado.
Wind speeds in Rio Bonito reached 250 km/h at 6:10 pm on Friday, according to Simepal (Parana State Environmental Technical Monitoring System). This means a tornado with a level 3 intensity on the Fujita scale of 0 to 5.
Meteorologists in Simepal continue to analyze the possibility that another tornado passed through Paraná state on Friday. That includes the rural area of Guarapuaba, more than 100 kilometers from Rio Bonito and where the sixth victim of Friday’s storm lived.
The Civil Defense Department estimates that nearly 90% of the city has been destroyed, and Sunday was mainly focused on clearing debris. According to the management of Laciño Jr. (PSD), around 200 engineers from Cojapar (Parana State Housing Company) and Clare PR (Parana State Engineering and Agricultural Regional Council) began this Sunday to assess the damage and structural condition of the building.
Two public schools in the city were damaged and will be inspected. This Sunday, the city was unable to host the first day of Enem. According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the reexamination will be held on December 16th and 17th. .
The state Department of Education announced that classes will not be held at seven state schools in the city this Monday (10th). The restart date will be evaluated. The ministry added that it is working to ensure that repatriation occurs “safely and in the shortest possible time.”
On Sunday, Col. Fernand Schunig, the state’s civil defense coordinator, said the city should be cleared in two to three days, citing efforts to clear debris and rubble from the tornado’s passage. The tornado not only destroyed buildings, but also toppled trees and overturned cars.
Schunig said Rio Bonito doesn’t have a shortage of trucks, tractors or other equipment. He listed more than 30 facilities provided by municipalities and neighboring cities.
The debris is temporarily concentrated in the field. “In the next moment, we’ll know what’s the best place to create this environmentally sound destination,” the colonel said.
The government of Paraná has announced financial assistance for residents to purchase construction materials. This Sunday, the Arepu (Parana State Legislative Assembly) held an extraordinary session and voted on a proposal aimed at accelerating support for affected families.
The bill amends the Fecap (National Public Disaster Fund) and was approved unanimously Sunday night. The document allows for the direct transfer of resources to families whose homes have been destroyed in the Rio Bonito area, without the need for an agreement. Until then, the law only allows for “fund-to-fund” transfers between states and local governments.
Standards, like values, must be established by decree. However, the state government has announced that it intends to provide up to 50,000 reais per household. The city has approximately 14,000 residents.
“More than 50 million reais will be distributed to the affected municipalities, but people need to register in order to receive this benefit for the reconstruction of their homes and other needs that may arise at this time,” said Hudson Teixeira, public security secretary for the state of Paraná.
“This cuts down on bureaucracy as there is no need to forward the information to city hall. The information goes directly to those affected, those who have enrolled in the program,” he added.
He said a joint effort to recreate lost identity documents for the victims of the tragedy should take place within the next few days.
The Minister of Integrated and Regional Development, Waldes Goes, also visited the city this Sunday and announced the immediate release of R$15 million for the reconstruction of schools and gymnasiums, all municipally owned.
Goes said the federal government should move forward with providing assistance to local residents.
The city declared a federally recognized state of public disaster Saturday afternoon. Minister Gleij Hoffmann and Governor Lacinho Junior had already passed through the city on Saturday.
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