Alexandre Frota says he tries to be strong in front of victims of the rains in RS: ‘I cry alone’

An image surprised internet users who were trying to find out about the situation in Rio Grande do Sul on Thursday (9). Riding on a watercraft, Alexandre Frota, 60, helped rescue people and pets stranded by the floods that were ravaging the region.

The actor and former federal deputy is in Canoas, in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre. According to the state’s Civil Defense, 60% of the municipality was underwater after the heavy rains that hit the state last week.

After traveling more than 24 hours, he arrived in the city on Wednesday (8) and has been working with a group of more than 20 volunteers. “The situation is worse than I imagined. It’s very difficult and sad”, Frota reported to F5. “We don’t stop for a minute, and it’s suffocating. We want to cry with all this tragedy, but we can’t. We have to be strong in front of the victims. But I cry alone. I break down.”

Frota said that he does not have a date to leave Canoas and does not rule out the possibility of helping other cities as the situation normalizes. “My relationship is not with Rio Grande do Sul, but with the people, who are in need of help. I have been volunteering for six years and have worked in other tragedies, such as in Petrópolis, in Rio, and in Salvador, in Bahia. I do it for any human being who is in trouble”, he comments.

The actor said he doesn’t care about the criticism that he was just there to appear. “What matters to me is being able to help people. In addition to willingness, we brought blankets, water, clothes, diapers and basic food baskets. We also brought hope, love. We are doing our part,” he said.