7 replies to this topic

[Gileno Machado]

I'm very worried about the IPS Biennial which starts next week in Rio because of the terrible weather conditions there at the moment.
In the last 24 hours they had a 15 hour continuous storm, with a record high precipitation there, reaching 339 mm (13 inches+) in some areas of the city, which has caused floodings at several places, many landslides with several dead people, etc. The Airport Santos Dumont is still closed down, all schools are closed and driving around the city is impossible at the moment, with chaotic traffic jams and drowned cars everywhere. The weather predictions are not optimistic for the next couple of days...I hope everything gets back to normal life until the Biennial starts...let's pray for sunshine there...

Here are some pictures: http://noticias.uol....oto=3#fotoNav=4

[Jason Baker Portugal]

Sound pretty bad. Wouldn´t want to be there at the moment. I hope that it will be over in a short time and things will be back to normal by next week. I´ve been there several times during a deluge but that was in a 5 star hotel which is very comfortable. Hope the population is allright.
Meus sentimentos
Jason

[John in Andalucia]

The real victims are the poorer people living under the threat of landslides. Overall, the situation looks pretty grim. Here's the latest from the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.u...cas/8605386.stm

[bgl]

Gileno,

Thanks for the update, and yes, it's been on the news here. Very disturbing, and a very sad situation for the people there. As far as the Biennial, well, we still have another ten days before it begins, so hopefully the weather will improve between now and then and the conditions in Rio return to somewhat normal, which I guess could be close to chaotic anyway!

Bo-Göran

[amazondk]

I posted some pictures in the weather forum in the thread, Autumn(Fall) in the south, Spring in the north , about this event. I would imagine that the worst will be over by the time the bienniel starts. But, it can happen again at any time. The news was very sad yesterday as a hillside in Niteroi the city on the other side of the Guanabara bay had a giant mudslide killing possibly 200 people on Wednesday night. In this particular case the land had been invaded by people and then urbanized by the government over a former garbage dump site. This was known to be a risk area but the people had not been removed in spite of fact that a smaller landslide had occured the day before. In addition to the flooding Rio was hit by 5 meter high storm surge stirred up by an extra tropical cyclone creating damage along the beaches of the city. Due to the mountainous terrain of the city when there is a major downpour there is always problems. But, this was the greatest one in 44 years.

I hope all is well when you all go.

dk

[Gileno Machado]

Thanks Don,for the update. I feel very sorry for you not being able to join us for the Biennial. I was expecting to meet you again there next week, we've only met briefly in Miami for the visit to Montgomery a few years ago...my wife and my son both enjoyed a lot your company there. You'll certainly be missed by all Forum members there...

Well, the weather forecast is finally predicting a few nice days ahead, after all this scaring tragic situation...but it's still raining there at the moment. The number of fatal victims is incredible, 184 was the last count this morning...possibly more than for the big Earthquake in Chile last month...
The topography of Rio makes it one of the most beautiful towns on earth but certainly doesn't help the drainage and stability of the slopes. On top of that, Rio has always been a magnet for poor immigrants comming from all over Brazil and South America, who continue to build small houses and slums at the most unfavourable places on steepest slopes with shallow soil, barely covering the huge rocky formations.

Now they're coincidently having this incredible surge at high tide on the beaches, with huge waves invading the shoreline...Even the Copacabana beach and the Aterro do Flamengo (with its big flowering Coryphas) are closed down for traffic and being invaded by salt waters and sand...

I was very worried when I first saw the TV news here on tuesday morning and realized that the whole neighborhood of Barra (where the biennial hotel is located) was completely isolated for the whole day long, as both main highways were closed down (Av. Niemeyer, connecting Barra with Ipanema had a major rocky landslide and the other one, linking the Avenue of the Americas, where the canal of Maraipendi overflowed with more than a meter of water stream above the road level). I've also seen horrible pictures of the Botanical Gardens main entrance, totally flooded by the surge of the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, with several cars drowned to the top and people hanging at the fence. I'm not sure if the Jardim Botânico will be open and operational by next week...even if they have a good drainage there...they might have been severely hit by the record precipitation at the place, probably flooded in the lowest parts and full of mud...hopefully they'll be able to clean up the mess by next week...
I also fear for the situation in Guaratiba area, where both the Sítio Burle Marx and Hermínio nursery are located...it'll be a pitty if these lovely gardens are not in a good conditions for the event...

April has been the second most rainy month of the year in Rio according to the Metereological records but a concentrated rainstorm of 15 hours has not been reported there since 1966, like Don mentioned. In some areas they've just registered 351 mm of rain/day, which never ocurred before in history.

I hope the population of Rio, considered by all international surveys as the happiest and most optimistic people in the world, can work hard to overcome this sad event soon. The whole country is mobilized to donate and help the victims now, they still have 11 thousand people away from their homes because of the deluge and landslides at the moment, in the metropolitan area. If only the rain could stop soon and the sun starts shining again...

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[amazondk]

Gileno,

I also hope that things are better for the event. I am sure by then things will have improved. I just looked at the extented weather forecast from CPTEC the Brazilian national weather service, extended forecast for Rio, and they are saying it will be better. But, you never know with weather it changes all the time. I was hoping to be there as well. But, due to financial reasons I will not be able to make it. I did see a few of the attendees here in Monday and took them over the river to my place for the day and had a bbq tambaqui with them. It has been raining here a lot this week as well. But, nothing compared to the storm in Rio. Here in Manaus there is a major project which is changing the face of the city by ripping out the shanty towns structures in risk areas (water courses cutting through the city) and converting them into parks and avenues and relocating the population to better housing. The government either pays you a good some for your home, even if it a shack, or gives you an apartment. And, the parks that have been created are beautiful. Brazil is Brazil and there is a lot of work to be done in all the cities.


dk

[Gileno Machado]

Gileno,

I also hope that things are better for the event. I am sure by then things will have improved. I just looked at the extented weather forecast from CPTEC the Brazilian national weather service, extended forecast for Rio, and they are saying it will be better. But, you never know with weather it changes all the time. I was hoping to be there as well. But, due to financial reasons I will not be able to make it. I did see a few of the attendees here in Monday and took them over the river to my place for the day and had a bbq tambaqui with them. It has been raining here a lot this week as well. But, nothing compared to the storm in Rio. Here in Manaus there is a major project which is changing the face of the city by ripping out the shanty towns structures in risk areas (water courses cutting through the city) and converting them into parks and avenues and relocating the population to better housing. The government either pays you a good some for your home, even if it a shack, or gives you an apartment. And, the parks that have been created are beautiful. Brazil is Brazil and there is a lot of work to be done in all the cities.


dk

Yes, Don, hopefully things will improve in the next few days...

Here's a link with many photos of the big waves hitting Rio's coastline this morning:

http://noticias.uol....o=25#fotoNav=25

Unbelievable...Copacabana normally has a wide 70 meters area of sand...now the waves are hitting the Avenue...and also the Airport is being invaded by the sea...wow...