Gisele Bündchen urges fans to donate for Brazil floods in an emotional message

Gisele Bündchen is trying to make a difference as her home state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil has been ravaged by devastating flooding.

The supermodel made an emotional plea to her fans on Wednesday, May 8, asking her followers to consider donating to the Luz Alliance Fund, an initiative she created in partnership with the Brazil Foundation to provide humanitarian pandemic relief to families in Brazil.

Bundchen shared an Instagram Reel containing photos and video of the damage in southern Brazil. The model referred to the flooding as "the worst tragedy in its history."

"Heavy rains flooded entire towns in most parts of the state. It's not one or two cities; it's more than 350 cities affected. People are not only losing their houses (and)their jobs. They're losing everything. And there are many still to be rescued. Nobody was ready for such devastation," she explained.

"Towns are isolated. Roads and bridges were destroyed. People have no electricity. No clean water to drink. Many have been separated from their loved ones," Bündchen continued. "And the saddest is that many lives were lost. it's painful. It's heartbreaking."

Bündchen ended her video by asking her followers to join her in making donations and helping "in any way that you can."

"Let’s all join together to help the thousands of people who need us. No amount is too small. Together we can make a difference," she added in a written message at the end of the clip.

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The model also said that people near the affected area could help by donating "mattresses and pillows, all types of bedding, toiletries, cleaning products, all types of clothing for all ages, furniture, appliances, pet food, and general daily living items."

Floods in Brazil

On Wednesday, the Rio Grande do Sul state civil defence force announced that there have been 100 confirmed deaths since the flooding began.

Nearly 100,000 homes of all types have been affected based on data from the Civil Defence agency. These many homes have sustained either total or partial damage since the state's worst weather-related disaster hit on April 29, according to the confederation.

The state also borders Argentina and Uruguay. As many as 414 of 497 towns in the state, which is also a top agricultural and livestock producer, have suffered from the storms and therefore declared emergencies.

Earlier this week, a source told PEOPLE that one of the reasons Bündchen decided to skip Monday's Met Gala was because of the devastation in Brazil.

"She's busy with her family down in Miami. She has a totally full life, and she's very busy with her kids. Plus, she's been working more than she has in 20 years this past year. She has so many projects; she's been working all the time," the source said.