Last Friday (7th), residents of Rio Bonito do Iguaçu in Paraná state and surrounding cities formed a network of volunteers to help displaced people after the tornado that devastated the city.
At any given time, hundreds of people, including teenagers and even children, can be seen on the streets going door-to-door to deliver food and water. Others are taking turns sorting through the influx of donated clothing in the city’s parish, one of the few unaffected properties.
According to city hall, more than 1,000 people have left their homes. In the midst of a public disaster scenario, a collective kitchen was set up to prepare meals to feed both those in need and those working to clean and rebuild the estate. Organizations associated with the Catholic and evangelical churches are also providing assistance.
Crea-PR (Regional Engineering and Agriculture Council of Paraná) has launched an online registration for volunteer engineers to carry out technical inspection work on real estate, and in a short period of time already 200 people have registered. On Sunday afternoon (9th), 20 experts were on site to analyze city maps.
According to Crea-PR President Clodomir Askari, there is no way to get everyone interested in volunteering together, so they need to think about logistics. There is no facility in the city to accommodate experts, and hotels in the nearest municipality, Laranjeiras do Sul, are fully booked. Some engineers stay in more remote cities, such as Cascabel and Pato Blanco.
Highway PRC-158, the main access to the municipality, recorded congestion on Saturday (8th) and Sunday with people wanting to receive donations.
The state highway police said in a statement that the large number of vehicles was hindering the progress of humanitarian efforts and urged motorists to avoid unnecessary travel and seek alternative routes where possible.
“Those wishing to take supplies and useful materials must gather at the firefighter barracks of their municipality or at the headquarters of the military police detachment, whereupon the security forces will transport them to Rio Bonito do Iguacu,” the corporation informed in a memo.
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