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The climate tragedy due to the floods that lament Brazil It also left Peruvians affected. At least 73 compatriots are among those affected in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, our country’s ambassador to Brazil, Rómulo Acurio, informed El Comercio, who announced that humanitarian assistance will be provided to compatriots in the most serious situation.
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Around 220 Peruvians are registered as residents in Rio Grande do Sul, according to data from our country’s consulate in São Paulo, which has jurisprudence for the South of Brazil. However, the total number of compatriots living in that area amounts to more than 2,000, reported the national diplomatic legation in the neighboring country.
In dialogue with this newspaper, Ambassador Acurio details the situation of his compatriots, the scope of ongoing aid and the difficulties that arise in the face of a new increase in rainfall in the South of Brazil. Furthermore, at an official level, he adds that, as a sign of solidarity, Peru also offered the Brazilian Cooperation Agency to send emergency material from INDECI to face this crisis.
— Floods have caused material damage in the last two weeks and new river floods are now expected. What is the current situation of Peruvians in this crisis?
This tragedy is taking on an unexpected dimension due to the duration of the floods. The Brazilian government itself faces a challenge it did not imagine. In fact, the ministerial cabinet will temporarily move to the region with President Lula da Silva at its head. There are more than a million victims, more than 75 thousand people had to be displaced and evacuated from their homes. Among them there are many homeless people, who could not be accommodated by family or friends.
In the first week, what we did at the embassy and consulate was publicize the emergency telephone number and in the first few days we received requests for assistance from around eight or 10 Peruvians who we helped. In some cases to leave the region and return to Peru, in other cases they were students, we also provided guidance so that they could access Civil Defense help.
—How many Peruvians were affected in the state of Rio Grande do Sul?
Most of the affected Peruvians are residents and many of them are Brazilian, that is, they have dual nationality. As the days went by, it became clear to Brazilians and to us, as an embassy, that this was going to get worse. So, instead of simply waiting for Peruvians to contact emergency numbers, it was decided to take the initiative to contact them proactively. And this collection of information that our Consulate General in São Paulo carried out in recent days, with the help of the embassy and the Consulate in Rio de Janeiro, has so far revealed that approximately 73 Peruvians have been affected by the floods, more or less serious. Of these, around 14 had to abandon their homes because they were flooded and of this group, four were in collective shelters and the other 10 were generously accommodated by family or friends.
—How big is the Peruvian community in Rio Grande do Sul?
There are around 220 Peruvians registered at the consulate. Peru does not have an in-person consulate in Porto Alegre, it is the consulate in São Paulo that has jurisdiction over this area. Of these 220, with support from the embassy and consulate in Rio de Janeiro, we have already made individual telephone contact with approximately half. Of the remaining hundred, none made contact with the consulate or embassy. We want to assume that they are not in difficulty, but we are still trying to contact them because sometimes they do not respond, but so far 96 Peruvians have been contacted individually to know their geolocation because it is very important to inform Brazilian Civil Defense exactly where they are, evaluating your material situation and, of course, knowing your most basic requirements. The main thing is to guarantee food and some medications, in some cases.
— Some official reports speak of more than 2,000 Peruvians residing in Rio Grande do Sul…
There is always a difference, and sometimes a very big one, between the calculation made by the city hall or by the Brazilian authorities, which in this case is around 2,000 Peruvians, compared to the number of compatriots who actually register at the consulate. To be properly assisted and in contact with consular services, compatriots must be registered and this only happens to a fraction of them. Unfortunately, this is the reality in many parts of the world.
—What did the help you were able to coordinate with them consist of? Several compatriots with whom El Comercio spoke indicated until Tuesday, the 14th, that the Peruvian authorities did not give them concrete help nor did they give many details about how they would help them.
Getting things to the affected area is complex. There are channels that the Brazilian government is using to deliver food and medicine to affected people. What the consulate and embassy are doing is ensuring that the Brazilian Civil Defense has adequately located all affected Peruvians so that help can reach them. But, at the same time, with Itamaraty we are in the process of providing emergency humanitarian assistance, which consists of very specific support to people who find themselves in the most difficult situation at the moment. We have already started doing this and will obviously continue for as long as this situation lasts. What interests us is that there is full access for our affected Peruvians to the food and medicine spaces that the Brazilian government has established. And we are proceeding directly to provide humanitarian assistance to the most difficult cases.
—How long can this emergency humanitarian aid last?
This is already in process. Obviously it will depend on the weather situation. In other words, if it doesn’t rain and the water starts to recede, this will begin to be resolved in the next three or four days, but if it rains this weekend, as is being announced, the matter will be prolonged. What is difficult and very painful is that some Peruvians not only find themselves in a situation where they need to eat and receive medicine, but they have also lost their business.
—What is the strategy with these cases?
I managed to talk to some of them, there are three Peruvian chefs, as well as a lady who owns a beauty salon. I also managed to talk to her. It is a lifelong effort that is undermined in this way. Obviously, recovering from this damage will take time. Many of the Peruvians affected in this way are also Brazilians and the Brazilian government will provide help for purchasing properties or monetary aid for reconstruction and so on. We are very attentive to ensure that this obviously covers and benefits all Peruvians who may have been affected.
— Is any type of aid being considered for those who have lost everything and want to return to Peru?
Of course this will be considered. For now there has been no request for repatriation because what we have confirmed is that everyone we contacted are residents, have been in Brazil for many years, have a Brazilian family, are married. So it’s logical that their expectation is to stay and recover their lives and their businesses. We are accompanying them, helping them materially now, but we are accompanying them because it is a very painful situation, many people have dedicated their entire lives to creating their restaurants or their businesses. Our support for them is not just for these days, we will have to continue it for several months until they also recover morally, because it is a material shock, but also a moral one.
Source: Elcomercio
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
