Flooded Lives: Nascimento Family's Struggle Under the Bridge

The Nascimento family, displaced by severe flooding in Porto Alegre, Brazil, now live under a bridge. Despite the hardships, including taking care of over 40 animals, they refuse to move to shelters, fearing looting. Their makeshift home includes basic amenities, highlighting their resilience amid adversity.

Four months after devastating flooding wrecked their house in southern Brazil, Milton do Nascimento and his family still have no permanent residence and are sleeping rough underneath a highway bridge.

The Nascimento family, comprising three pigs, 24 goats, two boars, five horses, and 10 dogs, face difficulties finding a new home due to their animals. 'If it weren't for the animals, I'd be living somewhere else. But we have to look after them,' said the 58-year-old Nascimento.

Nascimento, his wife Gabriela, and stepdaughter live 300 meters from their destroyed house in Porto Alegre, where flooding killed over 180 people in May. Their house is still uninhabitable with no prospect of returning. Despite the availability of shelters, they stay under the bridge, fearing looting. Their 44 animals live in makeshift pens beneath the bridge. They moved under the bridge in July after living in their van for two months.

They constructed a tent with blankets and thermal insulation boards, attaching it to a bridge pillar. Their setup includes a sofa, table, stove, washing machine, and TV connected to the neighborhood's electricity. A broken refrigerator serves as a cupboard. Despite the hardships, the family views their current situation, supported by Nascimento's mother, Iauria, who joined them recently, as manageable compared to the flooding ordeal.

The most challenging aspect is hygiene, with their bathroom tent and bucket baths provided by the municipal government. 'After what we went through in the flood, this is nothing. Now we're in luxury. I have everything I need,' said Gabriela. Municipal official Lucas Vasconcellos notes the family's refusal to leave their precarious refuge despite offers of better shelter.

(With inputs from agencies.)