Travesseiro: It was 6:00 a.m. when Brazilian farmer Verney Kunz flooded the banks of the Forqueta River and swept away his 5,000 pigs.
Kunz, 60, has been farming for the past 42 years in the town of Travesseiro, where hundreds of people were devastated by catastrophic floods that killed more than 160 people
“The crops and the pork are all in the backyard,” he told AFP on the morning of May 2.
We opened the door to enter. We managed to catch some swimming in the water. We took them out and took them to a safe place. “
Kunz and his staff were able to save about 700 pigs, he said. A slaughterhouse works to collect them and send them to other farms in the area.
“The rest have sunk,” Kunz said, pointing to the concrete-and-iron hole.
Three weeks later, a smell reminiscent of pigs buried in mud still fills the air.
The river, about 500 meters from Kunz’s property, swelled in late April when heavy rains hit the area.
It eventually broke the bank with a vengeance, sweeping away almost everything in its path, including the Travesseiro Bridge.
Today, only two ends of the nearly 20-meter-high bridge remain in the air.
Kunz said he and 12 other employees were fired that day.
Without insurance coverage, he estimated the loss at between $10 million and $15 million ($2 million to $3 million).
Agriculture, the region’s economic engine, lost about $430 million, according to the National Confederation of Municipalities.
The Association of Pig Farmers for Rio Grande do Sul, one of the largest pig producers and exporters, said the damage affected 25 to 28 percent of production.
“I’ve had big floods before 2010, but nothing like this,” Kunz said.
“Then we can rebuild. This time the water destroys everything.”
Experts say the intensity of floods is linked to climate change.
“You can’t fight nature,” he said, still wearing a halo.
The several-thousand-square-foot property is filled with curved metal, aluminum sheets, wall panels, and wooden columns.
“I have to burn everything. What else can I do?” he said.
Son Eduardo, 34, explained that animal husbandry is a modern business, using artificial insemination to breed animals with the best traits.
“We have a very expensive car. It’s hard to get it back.”
The family plans to live in Travesseiro, a quiet farming town of 2,000 people.
Mayor Gilmar Southier estimates that 80 percent of the local population has been affected by the floods.
He said, the first step is to rebuild the bridge, which is the main link between the city and the main city in the region.
And Kunz plans to get started. But instead of pigs, he wants to plant corn and soybeans.
It hopes to have its first harvest in August 2026. Until then, he says, he will have to find a loan to get back on his feet.
