Floods and destruction turn family Christmas reunion in Bahia into a nightmare.
In the municipality of Itambé, according to the city hall, approximately 600 families have been affected and 60 houses have collapsed so far.
ITAMBÉ, Bahia (Reuters) - After many months apart due to the pandemic, Juliana Reis finally managed to gather her relatives at home in the Bahian city of Itambé to celebrate Christmas Eve, but heavy rains that hit the region turned what should have been a celebratory occasion into a nightmare.
"We really hoped it would be the Christmas of our dreams," said Reis, 37, who was with her family when the severe storm hit, destroying several houses in her neighborhood. "And then at midnight, this catastrophe. I just prayed that everyone who came would stay alive."
The state of Bahia has faced heavy rains in recent weeks, which have resulted in at least 20 deaths. Two dams broke over the weekend, flooding entire neighborhoods in some cities and causing widespread destruction, forcing many people to leave their homes.
In the municipality of Itambé, according to the city hall, approximately 600 families have been affected and 60 houses have collapsed so far. On December 26th, the day after Christmas, the Iguá dam broke due to the high volume of water.
"Unfortunately, we're going to have to start over together. We need to seek resources together, because there are 72 municipalities involved, right? There's no way to be selfish at this moment," Reis added.
Vitória Rocha, 81, also experienced terrifying moments when her home was completely destroyed by the rain. The elderly woman, who lives alone, had to leave her house in a hurry during the early hours of the morning.
"I can't accept it, no, because to me it seems like a lie. My whole house destroyed, all my things destroyed, everything a mess," said Rocha, in tears.
"This place is everything to me, because the only thing I have is my house, and that's it."
The governor of Bahia, Rui Costa, called the catastrophe a "gigantic tragedy" and said he couldn't recall anything of the same magnitude in the state's recent history. "The number of cases, streets and towns completely underwater, is truly astonishing," he said.
On Tuesday, following pressure from the governor, the Minister of Regional Development, Rogério Marinho, promised that the federal government will allocate more resources to address the disruptions caused by the rains.
According to the state governor, there are approximately 50 displaced people, and 5 new homes will be needed, with a budget of nearly 400 million reais, to transform homes that have been destroyed or will have to be demolished.
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