Helping my family - Brazil Floods

My name is Bruna and I am from the south of Brazil,

You may have heard on the news that heavy rains and a hydroelectric dam collapse have caused widespread flooding in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul where im from. This has left hundreds of towns under water, including my town, Eldorado do Sul which is now 100% underwater. The water levels in the area have risen over 5m higher than usual destroying infrastructure and devastating homes. The current death toll is at least 85 with 130 reported missing and over 150,000 people have been displaced. The president of Brazil is calling for a state of emergency as rescue efforts continue.

My hero uncle Sergio Alves had to risk his own life, wading through deep fast moving water and drag a boat across the town to rescue my parents. Thankfully they are safe and in a safe place now but the impact of this catastrophe has only just begun.

My parents, my aunts, uncle, grandmother and cousins are displaced at the moment. All of their houses still have water inside and we are waiting for the levels to drop before we will even understand the true damage and loss this devastating flood has caused.

More than half of the 497 cities in the state have been affected by the storms, with roads and bridges destroyed in several areas.

Im setting up this gofundme to raise some much needed funds to help my auntys, uncles, cousins and grandmother get back on their feet. Everything they had has most likely been destroyed/ lost to the floods. Each had to leave with only what they could carry which in most cases was just a gym bag of clothes and important documents.

Estimates suggest it will be months before electricity is restored in my parents home town of Eldorado do sul. They are staying in temporary accommodation with extended family who have also been displaced. The supermarkets are bare and everyone is having to ration to get by. All major road routes in and out are still completely submerged or destroyed so its going to take a long time to get logistics running smoothly.

It’s a desperate situation and I want to do all I can to help my family. Anything you can spare will go a long way.

The funds will help them get back on their feet, help them start to rebuild their homes, but more than anything survive until they can get back to their houses, with shelter, food and clothing.

Please help me help them, any amount is extremely valuable.

The money will be used to buy essential items for everyday life and to help rebuild and repair their homes.