“Greatest natural disaster in history”, Bahia`s governor says
Bahia`s governor Rui Costa said on Tuesday (Dec. 28) that Bahia state is going through “the greatest natural disaster in history”. At a press conference, Costa declared that it is still not possible to say when the reconstruction of areas destroyed by the floods that hit the state this month will begin.
"Bahia is devastated and it is still not possible to determine when the roads will be repaired. We don't know yet to what extent they have been damaged. We will have to look, case by case, for a technical solution. In some places we will have to make some changes. A 50 meter wide bridge, for example, taken by the water, shall be enlarged up to 70 meters, so that it is not hit again by the river", added the governor.
Also according to governor Costa, it will not be allowed to rebuild houses in risky areas, close to rivers or in places where landslides are more probable. The governor explained that the rebuilding priorities are bridges and essential roads that link the municipalities to other regions and that are in places with easier access.
Figures
116 municipalities have been affected so far and the number of cities that declared an emergency situation has reached 100. According to Bahia Civil Defense Agency, up to now 470 thousand residents have been harmed in some way by the storms. The floods in the state have caused 20 deaths and more than 31,000 homeless victims.
"Once you see pictures of it, one has the feeling that a massive bombing has hit the state," the governor says. He added that at least 50 cities have houses underwater. "Now that the water is starting to go down, we can see the damage that has been done to the homes of simple people, who had made a huge effort to build them."
Assistance
Governor Rui Costa did not mention the sum of public funds that will be made available for each affected family. However he reiterated how important it is for mayors to register people affected by the floods. "We're going to offer these families a financial support, but first we need to know how many people have been harmed."
The governor has visited Ilhéus, a city, where operations are centralized to assist the affected population. In an interview, he thanked the help of several states, including Maranhão, Ceará, Pernambuco, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso and the Federal District, which have declared their willing to help Bahia with several different resources, donations and even sending firefighters to help the population.
Overflight
On Tuesday morning (Dec. 28), Citizenship minister João Roma, Regional Development Minister Rogério Marinho and Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga were expected to fly over the most affected areas by rains and floods in southern Bahia.
