“What happened in that territory changed the paradigm of the treatment of climate disasters in this country,” said Lula during the opening of the March to Brasilia in Defense of the Municipalities, known as the March of the Mayors.

He pointed out that what was done in “Rio Grande do Sul is not only for Rio Grande do Sul, any climate crisis in any state, we are obliged to do the same or better than what we did in Grande do Sul.”

During the event organized by the National Confederation of Municipalities, which expects to receive more than 10,000 managers until Thursday, the president promised, once again, that there will be no shortage of money to support the reconstruction of the damaged territorial division.

In recent weeks, the federal government announced a series of measures, including the release of almost 52 billion reais (about 10.5 billion dollars) in credit measures.

Also the suspension for three years of the payment of the State debt with the Union, waiving interest, the transfer of 5.1 thousand reais (about a thousand dollars) to families that lost assets and the purchase of residences for nuclei that have lost homes.

Since the end of April, Rio Grande do Sul has faced the consequences of an environmental catastrophe that has killed, to date, 161 people.

Heavy rain and river flooding blocked roads, destroyed crops, flooded cities, destroyed thousands of homes and left thousands of people homeless.

The most recent Civil Defense bulletin indicates that the number of deaths could increase because 85 missing and 806 injured are reported.

More than 2.2 million gauchos were affected, 581,633 were evicted and 72,561 were directed to public shelters.

Of the 497 municipalities in the state, 464 were affected by floods.

Also, according to the data revealed, 82,666 residents and 12,358 animals were rescued.

In Porto Alegre, the state capital, and the neighboring municipality of Canoas, the water level of the Guaíba River decreases, allowing residents to return home.

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