Rian Marques was enjoying a typical Christmas Eve until he started receiving text messages from his mother and, later, some friends.
The messages contained videos and pictures of floodwaters ravaging the Kansas City Comets forward’s hometown of Itabuna in the south of Brazil’s Bahia state, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake.
Born and raised in Itabuna, Marques still feels a connection with the city even though left in in 2016 to start his college journey. He still returns once a year to visit family and friends.
He said he was getting ready to go to dinner with his wife’s family when his mother reached out, asking for prayers. At first, he did not understand. But not long after he received his mother’s message, a friend sent him a stunning video.
“I was completely shocked,” Marques said. “I could not believe that the videos I was watching were true.
“It felt like I was seeing an end-of-the-world movie. I reached out to the people I know to understand what was going on, and since then I just have been doing whatever I can to help.”
According to Bahia’s state government, 24 people have been killed and 629,000 others affected by the flood so far. The government also revealed that more than 53,000 people lost their homes in the 136 cities affected by the disaster.
Fortunately, none of Marques’ family members were hurt. But a few of his friends lost furniture, clothes and other supplies in the flood. Some friends were rescued by boat, forced to leave everything behind.
In the last few days, the rain has slowed. But as the waters have receded, the damage inflicted upon the area has become more visible. Marques called the flood one of the worst moments in his home city’s history.
But he’s encouraged by a spirit of community.
“They have sent me videos and pictures of what is left in some neighborhoods and houses, and it is really sad to see such a huge amount of destruction,” Marques said. “They also told me that the people in the city have been raising together and helping each get by on their feet, either by donating to people in need or helping in the process of cleaning neighborhoods and distributing supplies.”
Since the catastrophe in Bahia, many Brazilian celebrities have donated money toward rebuilding. Marques has contributed, too.
He said his goal now is to share details about the situation with as many people as he can.
“Since I cannot be physically there to help, I have been sharing stories and asking for the help of people that I know to give donations and send their prayers,” he said.