Brazilian floods

[torres-no-tan-magnifico]

I hope everuthing is OK where you are MC.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20110113/...l-3fd0ae9.html

[MidnightCowboy]

Thanks for concern

We were worried for a while yesterday because we could not contact all of my wife's family but now know they are all safe. One young cousin and his girlfriend are homeless but that is nothing compared to what has happened to some. Their house is still standing but has been condemned like so many others.

Parts of the city are just gone. Untypically for Brazil, it is not just the shanty town "favelas" being washed away but mansions in affluent areas too. My tech went to help out in the suburb of Posse on Wednesday because he has a pick-up and the ambulances, being mostly Sprinters, cannot get through the mud. The body count is still rising and unfortunately these are being stored at the university where my wife works because they have the only lab big enough to undertake autopsies on this scale.

The Navy drafted in extra helicopters yesterday but we suspect low cloud was keeping many of them grounded.

Luckily, when we moved we went up the mountain and our house is built on rock, in fact the builders had one hell of a job with the extension because of it.

These situations will continue to happen here though until someone takes control of where properties are allowed to be built and how, which is something I can't see happening any time soon.

[torres-no-tan-magnifico]

Great to hear you are dry and well!

144mm of rain in 24 hours!!

Things are also looking pretty grim in Queensland and Sri Lanka. While Blighty has gone from freezing weather to a mixture of mild (13⁰C) wet and windy Atlantic fronts.

Of course once the flooding subsides things can get even worse as in the case of Haiti, but I hope things improve quickly for the folks near to you.

All the best,

Torres

[MidnightCowboy]

The true extent of the damage here isn't clear yet. Since the new president's visit the police have been keeping TV crews away from some areas. None of this is good PR for the World Cup and Olympics.

My wife learned today that her boss at the university where she works has lost everything from her main house. The house is still standing but full of mud. In theory it could be cleaned but you can't get to it and naturally most of those able to do so are still tied up with the rescue effort. This means that by the time anyone can begin, what's inside is likely to have set solid. Most in this situation have been advised to demolish and rebuild. Luckily she also has an apartment in the city which is untouched.

There's no insurance here either, especially for cars, so it's a pretty grim situation all round for material loss on top of the human tragedy. Most folks in these suburbs need a car for work and now they have no house, no car, and many of them will still have a bank loan or other form of finance to pay for at least the car they don't have any more and maybe the house too.

The local wildlife doesn't take too kindly to this type of disturbance either and there are already reports of people with snake and spider bites.

The sad thing is that a lot of those killed would likely have survived if society here was better managed. Because everyone covers whatever they have with razor wire and broken glass, many of the fatal injuries were caused by folks getting washed against this stuff and torn apart during the process.

[Taurus]

You've been in my thoughts to MC. The images of the destruction there are quit unsettling. May God watch over you, your fmaily and friends.

[deya]

It's the loss of so many lives in such a short time that shocks you the most with things like this. I saw it on the TV news but you can't really comprehend it. It's awful.

[bo.elam]

I think all of us here are thinking of you MC, be good my friend.

Bo

[MidnightCowboy]

My grateful thanks to everyone for their thoughts and support

In a previous life I was quite accustomed to scenes of devastation but it always has a different effect when it's right on your own doorstep.

Most of the city center closed down yesterday so I guess folks intend to regroup their thoughts over the weekend, plus a lot have gone to help out where they can.

The weather cleared a bit yesterday afternoon so more of the helicopters were able to fly.

Next week should give a clearer picture of the total effects.

Latest news link here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12195226

[emmjay]

MC, Glad to hear that you and your family are safe.

All of my family are in Australia (where I am originally from). My family lost a home to bush fires a few years back and my cousin's house and farm is currently underwater. All of my father's family are from Brisbane and we have no idea what has happened to them, however, they are used to flooding where they live. Many have pole houses (the houses are approx. 3 meters off the ground) but I have heard that the waters peaked at 7 meters, so they will have some stinky mud to deal with when they return (and snakes and spiders are a given).

One thing that you may not know about Australia is that there are many rivers that flow inland (not to the sea) and the salt water crocs and bull sharks make their way into fresh water rivers when massive flooding occurs. This is a hazard that most do not want to have to deal with.

[bo.elam]

Originally Posted by emmjay

One thing that you may not know about Australia is that there are many rivers that flow inland (not to the sea) and the salt water crocs and bull sharks make their way into fresh water rivers when massive flooding occurs. This is a hazard that most do not want to have to deal with.

In Nicaragua we also have the phenomenon that you describe of Bull sharks
from the sea living and breeding on fresh water river and lake. Read about
the Lake ecology here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nicaragua

I hope your family is OK emmjay.

Bo