“Foz do Iguaçu has never seen anything like it.” This was the opening text of the report by Our Time about the flooding of the Paraná River, which the newspaper reported as one of the largest to date. Hundreds of people were impacted, including residents, fishermen and merchants.
The Paranazão rose well above average in June of that year. Homes in favelas in the Monsenhor Guilherme, Marinha and Boicy communities, close to the river, were swept away by the waters, according to issue no. 73 of the weekly.
Even a lumberyard near the Ponte Internacional da Amizade was completely covered by the river, which rose several meters above its normal course, highlighted the Iguaçu newspaper. On the banks of the Paraná River, the Yacht Club was also flooded.
Extra detail: the Our Time he did not lose his perspicacity even when dealing with a subject of such relevance. “I will walk naked down Avenida Brasil the day the waters reach the Iate Clube headquarters,” recalled the newspaper, regarding the promise made by Commodore Casemiro Dornareski when he built the space in the early 1980s.
Paraná River and the flood
As is often the case in extreme events, the most vulnerable population is the one that pays the bill. Fishermen and residents of nearby favelas were the ones who suffered the most from the wild waters of the Paraná River.
“I don’t know what to do. I have nowhere to live and no way to pay rent,” said Nélida Ledesmo, a widow with two children and almost no income. She managed to get some belongings out and took shelter in an abandoned building.
In 1983, fisherman Alfredo Zimmermann saw his house being covered by water up to the roof. “We tied the house down, but if the river keeps rising it’s likely that everything will go down the drain,” he lamented.
Despair gripped the population as they saw the results of a lifetime's work lost or at risk. In the southern area of Foz do Iguaçu, in the Porto Meira region, residents also faced the drama of flooding, due to the flooding of the Paranazão.
Access the original report in full.
History of Foz at a click
The portal Our Digital Time brings together the newspaper's entire collection, a project launched to mark the rebel newspaper's 30th anniversary. The aim is to preserve the city's memory, facilitate access to local and regional history, and democratize access to the media collection via the internet.
Access is free. The collection is a valuable resource for residents who want to delve into the history of the city and its actors, as told in the 387 editions of the newspaper that have been digitized, covering the period from December 1980 to December 1989.
