Walking around Terezopolis, a city in the mountains about one hour from Rio, is like
going through a roller coaster of emotions.
On one side, scenes of sorrow, grief, death, destruction.
On the other, the hope that comes with a thousand of people who give a part of their
lives to help those who are suffering with the tragedy of the rains in the southeast
of Brazil.
I spent one day in the life of these people, following a group of trail motorcycle riders
who risked their lives to reach places where official help had not been able to reach.
Being in the back of an ATV, in a van loaded with donations, in a stadium turned shelter,
or in a public school invaded to serve as a headquarter for the volunteers, the scenes
of solidarity were alive.
I think it's very good to help people.
What are we supposed to do to help someone who is still doing it?
I think it's up to all of us to try and make the most of it to be able to help.
There's nothing to do next.
Let's go.
Let's go to Petrio.
Now the thing is, we've filled the van here, we've covered it and there's clothes.
Here, the thing is more equal, they have food, they have water, there's everything.
Inside, where it's hard to access and where the civil defense hasn't arrived yet, is
that there's chaos.
So we're going there to be able to take something personal.
Well, now I'm going to go up in this circle here and we're going to try to get to some
of the places where the civil defense hasn't arrived yet.
Here we stopped at Bar dos Trilheiros, where the people who are riding motorcycles,
make trails here in Potelezópolis, gather together.
And today they are meeting with another reason, which is to be able to make trails to get
to the people who need help.
Here behind Bar dos Trilheiros, you can get an idea a little better about the destruction,
to see a wall there that simply succumbed to the force of the waters.
There was a woman who succumbed, succumbed, I sent her, wait, wait, I'm not going there,
she ended up in the middle of the water.
She was going through the river, passing through the river, she succumbed, we were looking,
the car was going down, everything.
The friendship that will be kept in the heart, the friendship that will be built to come back.
And those were houses, right?
They were houses, they must have bodies spread there.
Fortunately, if we can see everyone.
There must be a lot of things here.
Look at the other side.
We have to go through the roads.
I have to go through a support.
Excuse me.
Dude, nothing is coming there, just a lot of people.
The guys left at 5 o'clock in the morning and arrived at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
We came very voluntarily, a lot of people passing by, with water, maintenance,
trying to take help to the people who are still humiliated in some places.
It was very scary.
We were in the power of destruction.
This was a street where now all the stones that rolled from the river,
you saw the cars destroyed.
A house there too, completely destroyed.
Everywhere we walk, we see people's belongings,
like this chenel and like a child's doll.
Here, where the river is flowing now, is not the natural course.
Before, in the churras, the river went down there.
Here you can see the car there.
You can see the car there, the heads down, only the wheels.
There it is.
Pedrão is a very nervous center,
where the people are leaving the homes,
all the donations,
where there are several families disbanded,
and we came here with Jorge to get the maintenance
to be able to take to the places that are needed.
You tried to volunteer there, why didn't you go?
Because it was a minority.
And you were sad about that?
Yes, I wanted to help.
And you, even with your arm broken there, are helping.
I don't like having to just need it,
so we have to take a little of our vanity,
put it in the mass,
put it in our difficulties,
so that it doesn't have any conditions,
that it is needed.
Because of the children's disgrace,
who are now doing it,
a lot of people don't have a home to live in.
There are a lot of people from Soterrave,
who I know, many of my friends died,
but I am more able to take care of it.
Where are we going to go now?
Let's go.
Look, the water has come down here,
and you can't see what's down there.
Look at the stone.
Look at the stone that came up.
Wait, wait, wait.
We were trying to get to a place,
where the rain is strong,
it is sliding down there,
the land,
people coming out faster than possible.
We arrived here in Providence,
there are people who are
on the other side of the river,
and the farmers,
they are trying
to make a bridge
with a tree trunk.
In the camp,
the residents of this area
marked an SOS
to be able to notify,
the helicopters that were passing through the area.
We were finally able to arrive
at a municipal school
that was closed,
and it was open
just to
put the donations
and pick up the people
who were needing help.
From here to there,
it is much worse, much worse,
there are many people needing help,
so what we can help,
we are here to help.
Thank you very much.
