A motorcycle courier is being hailed as a hero after he rescued nine cats from a flooded home in the southern Brazil state of Rio Grande do Sul.
Dramatic video showed Geovane de Oliveira, 31, carrying a kennel containing cats and walking out of the residence of his friend Vinicius Machado as waves from the Guibá Lake pounded a neighborhood in the south side of Porto Alegre, the state capital.
De Oliveira could be seen holding the kennel over his right shoulder and slowly making his way through the waist-high flooded street as Machado trailed him.
‘I thought I wasn’t going to make it. I couldn’t stand up,’ de Oliveira told Brazilian news outlet G1.
The rescue, which took place Monday morning, was completed with three trips.
Geovane de Oliveira helped rescue nine cats and a dog that were trapped inside a flooded home in Porto Alegre, the capital of the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, where 149 people have died since rain began to fall on April 29
A cat was among nine felines who were rescued from a flooded residence on Monday in Porto Alegre, Brazil
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A Rottweiler that had been left behind with the cats in the home was also plucked out alive from the flood waters.
‘We had to catch him from below, in the belly, and save him as best as we could,’ de Oliveira said. ‘We’re fine. At least no animal died.’
The pets along with Machado and his family are currently staying in de Oliveira’s home.
According to figures released by the Rio Grande do Sul Civi Defense on Wednesday, 149 people have died and 108 are missing since rain began to fall on April 29.
The heavy rains have displaced at least 540,000 residents from their homes in 446 cities.
Geovane de Oliveira recalled how tough it was for him to maintain his balance while he made three trips to the flooded home of his friend to remove nine cats in a kennel
Geovane de Oliveira, a 31-year-old motorcycle courier, rushed to his friend’s flooded home and helped remove nine cats and later rescued a dog that was found swimming near the home
At least 76,000 people are staying in shelters across the southern Brazil state of Rio Grande do Sul due to floods that have forced them to abandon their homes
A mare was rescued from an apartment building in municipality of São Leopoldo, where it spent 10 days trapped due to a flood
About 76,000 people are staying in gyms, schools and churches that have been converted into shelters.
The agency reported that the Guaíba Lake’s water level began to decrease during the early hours of Wednesday, dropping from 17 feet as of 8:15 am local time.
At least 11,000 animals have been rescued from the ravaging flood waters.
On Tuesday, the fire department rescued a mare that was trapped inside the third floor of an apartment in a flooded neighborhood in the town of São Leopaldo.
The animal, which had been stuck in the apartment for 10 days, was lifted and removed after seven hours through a makeshift lift line.
Deputy Mayor Marcelo Santos traveled from the Rio Grande do Sul city of Santo Antônio da Patrulha, which was spared by the storm, to the municipality of Canoas to help with recovery efforts and used a jet ski to rescue a horse from drowning on May 6.