Marcelo Galvani

I received an e-mail message from Luis Fernando was referred by a mutual friend. It is a remarkable story about what happened in Santa Catarina.

"My friends,

Today November 27, 2008 the sun came out and got back to work. Despite normal jokes and witty comments on this "forced off" the truth is that I never felt so happy to return to work. Not only by work, by the institution and their own peace of mind to have somewhere to earn a living, but also because it is a sign that life is returning to normal here in our Itajai.

The photos circulating on the Internet and news programs already give us the clear pictures of everything that happened then I need not narrating and describing the scenes seen these days. All of you already know by heart. I really want to talk about lessons learned.

For more than one thousand theories and readings tell us about it still is amazing to witness a tragedy of this magnitude can bring out the human being the noblest sentiments and their most primitive instincts. The scenes and situations experienced this long weekend in Itajai made us cry with joy, anger, sadness and helplessness. They made us lose faith in the human being in seconds, to retrieve it the next. He made us see that when someone will take advantage of another's misfortune, but it is also easier to start again when all join hands.

That entity than that each one believes (God, Allah, Buddha, etc. GAOTU.) And so that each one of those designs have mercy:

- What took advantage of the situation to make withdrawals at supermarkets, leading mainly beverages and tobacco

- What a ransacked pharmacy taking prescription drugs, equipment and safety boxes and destroying the essential items that were as well as the physical structure of the same.

- Who asked for five dollars a liter of mineral water.

- What were asking 150 dollars a gas cylinder.

- What are requesting donations of food and water in dry areas to sell in the wetlands.

- What were eating and get clothes in sorting centers despite not having reached their homes.

- Hope people leave their homes to steal what was left.

- What did people sleep on roofs and slabs with cold and hunger for not having their homes looted.

- That does not concern felt by anyone, something is wrong with your heart.

- That simply have pretended that nothing happened, because they are in dry areas.

Likewise, that same superior entity bless:

- Those who heeded the call and had the radio on Sunday at the fire station to help in any way.

- Firefighters have patience with us in the barracks to instruct us and guide us in the activities that we should develop.

- The class of boats, the owners of motorboats for fishing weekend that quickly brought their boats in their trucks and made much difference.

- The crew of the boat, which seemed amazing people that we knew of a lifetime.

- The soldiers of the army of Parana and Rio Grande do Sul

- To the brave gauchos, often victims of our games that brought trucks and trucks of supplies.

- To the cadets of Police Academy training still behaved with veterans.

- At local Fire and Police rescued, cared for, guided and helped in every way, often with their own homes under water.

- At Medical Volunteers.

- Voluntary nurses.

- At the Paraná firefighters who worked shoulder to shoulder with ours.

- At the Air Force and Army helicopters that made the rescues in difficult places.

- To the tireless and SAMU ambulances in general, have not had time even to breathe.

- The staff of the Helicopter Military Police of São Paulo, which showed that long is the arm of solidarity.

- The staff of radios that kept the public informed and kept the hope they were isolated at home.

- Students who have lent their physiques to load and unload trucks in sorting centers.

- To the people who cooked for thousands of strangers.

- The entrepreneur who is not identified and handed over a thousand takeaway in distribution center.

- To all who donated so much as a piece of clothing.

- To everyone who served even one glass of water to those in need.

- To everyone who prayed for everyone.

- The whole of Brazil, who cried our dead and our losses.

- To the new friends I made in the sorting center on Monday.

- To all those who called me concerned about us.

- To all those who still care for someone.

- To all those who have done something, but I did not know or forgot.

A few years ago, a great flood in Argentina an anonymous wrote this:

START AGAIN

I was afraid of the dark

Until the nights became longer and without light

I could not resist cold easily

Stay overnight in a wet slab

I was afraid of the dead

To have to sleep in a cemetery

I had who was rejected by the Buenos Aires

So that gave me shelter and food

I had an aversion to Jews

To give medicine to my children

I loved showing my new jacket

So give it to a boy with hypothermia

I carefully chose my food

Until I was hungry

I suspected the dark

Until a strong arm me out of the water

I thought I had seen a lot

To see my people wandering aimlessly through the streets

I did not like my neighbor's dog

Until that night I hear the whining until he drowned

I do not remember the elderly

To participate in the rescue

I could not cook

Until you have in front of me a pot with rice and hungry children

I thought my house was more important than the other

To see all covered by the waters

I was proud of my name and surname

Until we all become anonymous beings

I do not listen to the radio

Until it was her that kept my energy

I criticized the mess of students

Until them, the hundreds, I extended their hands in solidarity

I had absolute assurance they would be my next year

Now not so much

I lived in a community with a political class

But now I hope that the tide has taken away

I do not remember the name of all states

Now I keep one in every heart

I had a good memory

Maybe that's why I do not remember everyone

But I'll still what's left of my life to thank all

I did not know you

Now you are my brother

We had a river

Now we are part of it

It's morning, the sun is out and not so cold

Thank God

Let's start again.

Anonymous

It's time to start again and maybe it's time to start not only materially. Maybe it's a good chance to be reborn, to reinvent themselves and grow as a human being.

At least that's my time, I believe.

May God bless you all.

Luis Fernando Gigen "