Brazil Flooding Appeal
Donation options can be seen here
In April 2024, the heaviest rainfall in over 63 years has caused devasting flooding in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Hundreds of towns are in a catastrophic condition under water and the state capital of Porto Alegre, with 1.5m residents is cut off, with parts of the historic centre under water. The Taquari and Caí rivers have burst their banks and additional rainfall in early May has caused them to rise still further. It is feared that when these river flow into the Guaíba river that the problems in Porto Alegre will be exacerbated. Half a million people have been displaced and at least 147 people have lost their lives and this figure will rise as searches continue.
We have begun liaising with our Disaster Aid International country partners, particularly Disaster Aid Brazil and are launching an appeal to help. Initial reports suggest that 80% of people in the affected area have no access to running water, so there is clearly potential for our expertise in safe water solutions to be of benefit, but all avenues of assistance will be explored.
Please help us give the people of Rio Grande Do Sul ‘a hand up, not a handout’
Disaster Aid UK & Ireland
Disaster Aid UK & Ireland is one of the founding partners of Disaster Aid International (DAI). DAI is an international organisation, involving Rotary Clubs around the world, with the mission to:
- Respond to disasters with the supply of humanitarian aid to the affected communities and/or individuals.
- Work in partnership on humanitarian projects funded by other organisations including Rotary clubs and Rotary districts.
In contrast to many other disaster-response groups, our aim is also to provide an infrastructure that allows affected communities to regain their normal lives.
If your organisation, club or group would like a speaker for your meetings, we would be very happy speak about Disaster Aid UK & Ireland, and answer any questions they might have.
Please contact us with suggested details of the time and date of the meeting. Email: admin@disasteraiduk.org
Deployments
What do DARTs do?:
- Conduct an assessment of the disaster and local needs;
- Coordinate with relevant governments, aid agencies and the affected communities to ensure that aid is deployed where most effective;
- Manage the effective distribution of equipment, tents etc. to the sites of deployment;
- Train members of the local community so that they can be involved in the distribution and deployment of the equipment, tents etc.;
- Work to ensure that deployments are designed to support longer term sustainability;
- Monitor and evaluate our deployments to ensure that both the products we are deploying as well as the means of distribution are relevant, effective and reach out to the most vulnerable.
View video for the role of DARTS
