Flooding in Brazil: NJ-based nonprofit providing supplies l 'They need everything'

BRAZIL - Brazil is grappling with its worst flooding in recent history. 

Over the past few weeks, relentless torrential rains have ravaged the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, leaving cities like Porto Alegre underwater and creating a catastrophe that's hard to comprehend from afar. 

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The impact is massive: streets are submerged, the airport's been shut down, power is out, and a staggering 100,000 people have been forced to leave their homes. With the death toll at 100 and another 130 missing, the situation is urgent.

As the rains continue with more forecast for the weekend, a Newark-based nonprofit, Mantena Global Care, is stepping up big time.

"They need everything," CEO Rodrigo Godoi told FOX 5 NY. "So we tried to gather the community here and help them with whatever they need in Brazil, in partnership with Azul Airlines, and the whole community – the Brazilian, Latino, and American communities."

Right now, Mantena Global Care is busy collecting essential supplies, things like winter clothes, hygiene products, diapers, and baby food. Many of those affected had to evacuate so quickly, they hardly had time to take anything with them.

Once collected, the supplies will make their way from Newark to Florida and then by Azul Airlines to the Red Cross in Brazil. While we were there, we saw plenty of locals chipping in to help. Carolina Silva, one of the volunteers, shared her thoughts.

"There are lives being lost and it hurts me to know that a lot of people, although aren't my personal family, I still feel close to them knowing that they'll be OK … doesn't matter where it's coming from," Silva said.

There are more than 100,000 Brazilian Americans in the Tri-State area, particularly in Newark's Ironbound and Astoria, Queens. 

Looking to help?

If you're looking to help out or learn more about Mantena's program, you can reach out to them at mantenaglobalcare.org or swing by their office on Ferry Street in Newark: Mantena Global Care, 294 Ferry St.

The weather remains a real concern. Storms were expected in the state on Wednesday evening, with hail and wind gusts reaching up to 60 kilometers per hour (37 mph), according to the National Meteorology Institute’s afternoon bulletin. 

The institute forecasts a cold front this weekend with additional rains to be particularly intense in the state’s north and east, the Associated Press said.