Government works to release FGTS for those affected by tornado in PR, says Gleisi

The Minister of Institutional Relations, Gleisi Hoffmann, said this Saturday (8) that the government activated Caixa Econômica Federal to speed up the release of the Service Time Guarantee Fund (FGTS) for workers who have been affected by the devastating passage of a tornado which hit Paraná on Friday (7).
“We are taking steps in relation to the FGTS, the release of the Guarantee Fund. I spoke with the president of Caixa before coming here”, Gleisi told journalists during a visit to Rio Bonito do Iguaçu, the municipality in Paraná most affected by the climate disaster.

The minister added that the National Social Security Institute (INSS) was also mobilized and is taking steps to assist beneficiaries and provide new benefits as well.

Currently, the FGTS already has Calamity Withdrawal, a modality that authorizes the shareholder to withdraw part of the fund if they live in a municipality hit by a natural disaster. To do this, the calamity must be recognized by the federal government and the municipality must be authorized by Caixa.

Reconstruction

Gleisi arrived in the early afternoon in the city which, according to Civil Defense estimates, had 90% of its urban infrastructure compromised by winds of up to 250 kilometers per hour. The tornado was classified as level F3 by the Paraná Environmental Technology and Monitoring System (Simepar).

According to the minister, there were meetings between the municipal, state and federal governments to coordinate reconstruction efforts. She stated that federal resources are immediately available to purchase material to care for the injured, but above all for construction materials.

“We have emergency support, but the state is providing this”, pointed out Gleisi. “What the mayor will need help with is to rebuild schools, health units, help to rebuild houses, all of which the federal government is able to provide.”

In parallel, the government mobilized the National Force of the Unified Health System (SUS) to assist in providing care to those affected.

According to official data released by the state government, six people died as a result of the tornado, five in Rio Bonito do Iguaçu and one in Guarapuava. More than 750 injured people were treated by medical teams.

Also read:

• “I only saw when the house collapsed on me”: victim reports destruction of tornado in Paraná
• Tornado causes damage in ten municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul and 200,000 are left without electricity

Homeless and homeless

In a preliminary survey, Civil Defense counted 1,000 homeless people, who were forced to leave their homes to take shelter with relatives or friends, and 28 homeless people, who have nowhere to stay.

A shelter was set up by the government of Paraná at Casa de Líderes, in the neighboring municipality of Laranjeiras do Sul, with capacity to receive 80 people immediately.

In Rio Bonito do Iguaçu, temporary structures were set up to screen and register affected people, as well as a food center and another to care for the elderly.

“Registrations are being made at Ginásio do Bugre, so people should go there and register the damage to their properties to be able to receive assistance”, advised the state secretary of Public Security, Hudson Teixeira.