Help those affected by the catastrophic floods in Brazil

Floods in southern Brazil have caused for more than 327,100 people to be displaced from their homes in recent days, around 68,500 of whom are in shelters. So far it is estimated that there are at least 107 identified deaths, 754 others were injured and hundreds missing. Again this numbers hold only for identified and confirmed cases, we suspect that the death toll might be a lot higher since a lot of the surface area is still underwater, making it hard to estimate the actual numbers.

Over 500,000 people were left without power and clean water across Rio Grande do Sul, and 115 municipalities lack telephone and internet services. Many of the main roads and bridges have been destroyed by the rains, and the airport has been closed since Friday 3rd of may, and helicopter aid has been conditioned by the strong storm, therefore the cities have basically been completely cut off, which makes it extra difficult for the organisation of community aid and the mobility of rescue teams. There are thousands of people isolated in their homes without water or electricity, and basic necessities such as water and toilet paper are beginning to disappear from supermarkets. The mayor said that ''the city has been 100% destroyed by these floods. Close to a million people have been impacted by the floods. Victims have lost everything, and with flash floods still a threat, the crisis is anticipated to worsen.

My name is Felipe and I was born and raised in Porto Alegre (one of the main regions affected by the floods). I have several direct contacts who are organizing first aid and rescue teams at a local level, purchasing hygiene products, managing food distribution, buying gasoline for the boats (main means of communication available for rescue at this time), providing food and shelter for the thousands of pets that have lost their home and are wandering on the streets... etc.

All of these projects are being organized independently and at a local level, each one is contributing as much as possible, with the available resources.

Unfortunately, the level of corruption at the organizational level in this area is quite high, so we are trying to contribute directly to those affected, and to support local, well-known and trusted projects to ensure that the money reaches the right hands.

We are also raising funds to support several family members, friends and close people who have been directly affected by the tragedy, losing basically everything overnight.

At the moment, financial contributions are the most effective way we have to help the thousands of people affected by this tragedy from here.

As I mentioned before, all the money goes to direct contacts who are raising funds and organizing emergency projects in the Porto Alegre and Rio Grande do Sul area.