By Lise Alves, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Strong winds and heavy rain which fell on Rio de Janeiro between Monday (September 19th) and Tuesday (September 20th) left several streets flooded and many residences without electricity, especially in Rio’s Centro and Zona Norte neighborhoods. Hundreds of residents experienced problems on their commuting routes on Tuesday morning.
Automobiles were unable to drive on several lanes of Avenida Brasil, one of the main thruways into the city, due to the formation of huge puddles of water. Passengers trying to get to work from Catete’s metro stop on Tuesday morning were unable to reach the station and metro employees were forced to close off the entrance access near the Museu da Republica due to the water. Shops along the street were also unable to open this morning because of the flood.
According to Rio’s Traffic Operation Center several roads remained closed on Tuesday morning due to the rains, including parts of Avenida Brasil, Avenida Francisco Bicalho at Cidade Nova); Rua Bela; Campo de São Cristóvão; Praça Paris (in Glória); Rua Teixeira de Freitas; Rua do Passeio; Rua Pedro Américo and parts of Rua do Catete.
On the other side of Guanabara Bay, in Niteroi, the rainfall was also intense, with several roads also being closed due to the rise of water.
City officials are asking the population who live in areas where landslides can occur to find a safe place to stay, since meteorology reports forecast weak to moderate rain with moderate to strong winds throughout Tuesday.
Although some bus lines had to be rerouted due to the rising water, metro lines are running as scheduled and airports are operating normally.