After a storm on Monday left at least 10 dead in Rio de Janeiro, Mayor Marcelo Crivella (PRB) admitted that the city failed to anticipate the flooding.
Crivella said Comlurb, the city’s sanitation company, attempted to unclog the rainwater network with special equipment on Monday afternoon, but many trucks got stuck in traffic and did not reach the most critical areas.
The city also did not issue a rain warning until 2 pm.
"We had agreed that in such times we would leave Comlurb equipment in places we thought would receive more rain, but we failed, we were delayed, and by the time we went in, it was 3:00 p.m. Traffic jams were already forming and we were late. We must start in the morning the next time it rains," the mayor said.
On Monday night, water covered up cars, knocked down trees and paralyzed traffic.
Alligators
Alligators are on loose in Rio de Janeiro: one of the unusual scenes of the storm in Rio de Janeiro on Monday and Tuesday.
This happened after a wall holding the alligators in the Rola favela in Santa Cruz (west zone of Rio) collapsed. The alligators escaped and the Environmental Patrol are attempting to capture them.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon