Rio’s Mayor Mud-splashed After Blaming Population for Floods

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Marcelo Crivella, was splashed on the head and shoulder by a resident of Realengo, in the western zone of the city, while holding a press conference yesterday morning.

Crivella visited the site to check the damage caused by the rainfall that has been affecting the city since last Saturday night, February 29th. As he set foot in the neighborhood, he was hostilized by locals.

Earlier, the Mayor had blamed the population for the floods that killed three people in the capital and one in Baixada Fluminense — a fifth missing person is being searched by the Fire Department in the municipality of Queimados.

“A large part of the population is to blame, as they often throw garbage in rivers,” he said before being mud-splashed on the shoulder and forehead by a local resident.

In the morning, the Mayor said people choose to live in areas at risk to “spend less on poop and pee” during a live broadcast on social media. In closing the broadcast, he said there is much the government could do to address the damage caused by the rains, but citizens must also do their part.

“All of our slopes are dangerous, but where the waters go down, predominantly called thalweg lines, people like to live nearby because they spend less on pipes for poop and pee and getting rid of it, these areas are very dangerous,” he said.

The Realengo neighborhood, where Crivella was targeted, is one of the worst affected by the floods. In the morning, the cars that had been dragged into the streets and the destroyed homes could still be seen.

Firemen search for a missing person in Baixada Fluminense

At about 12:20 PM yesterday, firemen were searching for a missing person in Queimados, a town in the lowlands (Baixada Fluminense) west of Rio. At 12:50 PM, the capital was still on alert, with moderate to heavy rainfall forecast – as a result, Rio completed over 36 hours on alert.

In Mesquita, another municipality in the Baixada Fluminense that recorded a death, the pavement collapsed in the community of Chatuba, opening a large crater in Coronel França Leite Street at dawn on Sunday. According to local leaders, an estimated 150 people have been displaced.

Mesquita City Hall reported that the area had been isolated for more than a week and the boarding has been washed away. “The Civil Defense has already isolated the area again and will search the properties to attest to any risk in them.”

President of the Neighborhood Association of Chatuba, João Paulo Bastos says that the region had not suffered such severe flooding since 1989.

“Since Saturday, we feel that it will not stop raining. It looks like the whole neighborhood is going to be dredged up. We’ve been working with NGO partners and volunteers to help displaced families”.

The SEEDUC (State Education Secretariat) reported yesterday that more than 40 schools in Greater Rio would remain closed due to heavy rains.

The Undersecretary of Protection and Civil Defense of the city of Rio received 349 calls since Saturday night, the majority for structure collapse (121), land and slope slides (79), the threat of structure collapse (63) and buildings with cracks and infiltrations (31).

The most affected neighborhoods are Realengo, Taquara, Campo Grande, Bangu, and Deodoro, all in the west zone, and Tijuca, in the north zone.

Crivella cancels attendance in Roda Viva

TV Cultura reported yesterday that Crivella would no longer take part in the Roda Viva show. According to the TV station, the Mayor would not be able to attend the show due to the heavy downpours.

In his place, the interviewee would be attorney Gustavo Bebianno, former national president of the right-wing PSL political party and former minister of the General Secretariat of Jair Bolsonaro’s administration.

Source: UOL