Third Airlift of Samaritan's Purse Donations Arrives in RS to Aid Flood Victims

Fourth shipment of donations expected at Canoas Air Base this Friday (17). Since Sunday, three shipments of water purifiers, hygiene kits, blankets and other emergency supplies have arrived from the U.S. charity. Donations are supported by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (Agência Brasileira de Cooperação – ABC), under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministério das Relações Exteriores – MRE).

Published in May 18, 2024 09:37 AM Updated in May 18, 2024 10:12 AM

These donations exemplify the wave of national and international solidarity that rallied behind Rio Grande do Sul - Credit: Ministry of Defense

Another flight carrying donations from U.S. charity Samaritan's Purse arrived this Thursday (16) at Canoas Air Base, Rio Grande do Sul (RS). This shipment of donations for the flood victims includes personal water purifiers, blankets and hygiene kits. A fourth airlift with additional donations is expected to arrive at Canoas, this Friday (17).

In addition to individual water filtration kits, the organization is sending ten larger filtration systems, each capable of supplying clean drinking water to as many as 10,000 people a day. Samaritan’s Purse is an international charitable assistance organization that has been operating since 1930.

These donations exemplify the wave of national and international solidarity that rallied behind Rio Grande do Sul after torrential rains late in April caused unprecedented flooding. This disaster affected 2.2 million people, leaving 540,000 of them homeless. Currently, 77,199 people are in shelters, and 151 deaths have been confirmed.

Transporting donations from abroad involves a logistical effort that unites public, private, and civil society institutions from donor countries; the ABC and the MRE, with its network of Brazilian embassies and consulates worldwide; as well as the Federal Revenue of Brazil (Receita Federal – RFB), the Ministry of Defense (Ministério da Defesa do Brasil – MD), the Ministry of Ports and Airports (Ministério de Portos e Aeroportos – MPor), the Federal Police (Departamento de Polícia Federal - DPF), and the Civil Police (Polícia Civil).

For more information, see: https://www.gov.br/abc/pt-br.