Looking at the bustling scene Saturday morning in front of Yara Baradel’s home in Winnipeg’s Island Lakes area, it’d be easy to dismiss it as just another community garage sale with people scouring for good deals and curiosities.
In reality, it was so much more, as Baradel and others of Brazilian heritage in the city leveraged the Bonaventure Drive West sale as a first salvo in their efforts to raise funds to help people back home who have seen their lives upended by devastating floods in the country’s southern region.
“It’s the power of everyone helping together,” Baradel told CBC.
The situation in Rio Grande do Sul state is dire and a humanitarian disaster is looming as the winter cold looms, Baradel and others said.
Heavy rains since the end of April caused record floods that killed at least 151 people in the state. More than 100 are still missing, according to state officials.
INMET, the national weather service, has reported that about 630 millimtres of rain has fallen in Rio Grande do Sul so far this month.
Roughly half a million people have fled their homes, with more than 77,000 currently in public shelters. Scientists warn it may take a month or more for the flooding to subside, and many residents have no homes left to return to.
Paulo Costa, who hails from Brazil’s northeast but now lives in Winnipeg, said he witnessed some of the devastation first-hand on a recent trip.
Ferocious rain flooded streets in mere minutes, submerging ground floors of homes and stranding people on upper floors, who had to be rescued by boat, he said.
“It’s something unbelievable — I never thought I would witness a catastrophe like that,” Costa said. Trucks loaded with goods were also stranded due to washed out roads and highways, he added.
“The situation is very very sad,” he said. “Very difficult for everybody.”
Baradel said she and other local Brazilian women have banded together through social media to plot their efforts to help.
Saturday’s garage sale was only the first public event and the group, named sos.southernbrazil, will be doing more in coming weeks, Baradel said.
Last week they raised enough money to purchase 169 blankets to help people handle the coming June-September winter season, where regional temperatures are at their lowest and can dip into freezing territory.
“You are running against the time to help people there,” co-organizer Carol Ferretti said.
The group is also looking to partner with an agency such as the Red Cross which could facilitate donations.
Baradel said she hoped 200 people would come out for the garage sale on Saturday.