Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Landslides, Heavy Rain, Flooding Threaten United States/Ghana World Cup Match in Natal, Brazil

Torrential rains have plagued the site of the opener, Natal—a coastal city of nearly 1 million people in northeastern Brazil—for three days, inundating streets, blocking off roads and triggering landslides that destroyed or damaged 20 to 40 homes and forced the evacuations of at least 50 people, according to local media. In response, the city declared a state of emergency Sunday, mobilizing emergency responders to deal with impacts from the heavy rain.

At least four other structures are threatening collapse at the site of the landslide. A retaining wall under pressure from the rain also collapsed in the city, enveloping six homes in earth, G1 reports. Multiple ponds and lakes are well past capacity and continue to spill over into the streets.
Nearly 9 inches of rain fell in Natal from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday alone, according to INMET,Brazil's governmental meteorological department. But more than 13 inches are said to have fallen since the rain began Friday, first shutting down a FIFA-sanctioned fan fest at Fortress Beach in Natal, and then soaking the city's opening match between Mexico and Cameroon, NBC Sports reports.
http://www.wunderground.com/news/united-states-ghana-world-cup-match-heavy-rain-natal-20140615

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