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Sunday 8 January 2012

Now, when was anything 100% safe?

 (os bueiros vão nos engolir)







When we arrived in Rio almost a year ago, we were given a ton and a half of great advice. So much life saving bits and pieces, we, being only human, could only remember some of it.


Anyhow, this time last year parts of Rio state had been subject to flooding that devastated towns and cost many people their lives. When we arrived in Brazil, the race to provide relief to these communities was on, and collection points around our new home from home were filled with spare clothes and toiletries, as well as tinned food for the hundreds that had become charity cases overnight.


Back in the city, the flash floods, although not an issue threatening entire villages, were taking people by surprise. And in the worst cases, the floodwater would lift the manhole covers and leave hidden holes underneath the surface of the water.


These holes occasionally swallowed poor unfortunate individuals who were either trying out their Gene Kelly moves, or simply wading through the water to cross the road.


Wind forward a few months and the frightening number of dodgy manhole covers pushed the powers that be to inspect them all (approximately a gazillion of them) and give them a percentage rating as to how unsafe they were. In august, wooden boards started appearing around loads of former manhole covers, pending repairs leading to their being decreed a suitably small percentage unsafe.


And that was it. Until last week, when an underground gas explosion in Centro caused 3 manhole covers to blow off. One wrote off a parked car and another injured a woman. The ensuing investigation has once again resulted in wooden hoardings being erected around loads of manhole covers in Copacabana, Centro, Tijuca and Botafogo, I assume to assess their potential for withstanding underground gas explosions.


Watch this space, and in the meantime, I wouldn't worry too much about walking on the cracks in the pavement, but I would definitely stay well away from the bloody manholes.


Oh, here's a decidedly more accurate warning than my anecdotal rambling: Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro identifica mais um bueiro com alto risco de explosão.



3 comments:

  1. Hello from Victoria, Canada!
    Thanks for your entertaining blog. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions regarding quality of life in RJ. Do you have an email I can use to contact you?
    Thanks,
    JM

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi! how are you?

    My name is Gilda, and I work with several hostels in Argentina, Chile, Brasil, Perú, Uruguay y Bolivia. We are looking to exchange links with interesting regional blogs and websites, and we find yours, and we really liked it. Would you like to exchange links with us?

    We could put your link in the following blogs:

    http://latinohostels.com
    http://pousadasehostels.com
    http://hostelsuruguayos.com
    http://hostalesperuanos.com
    http://hostelschilenos.com
    http://hostelsargentos.com

    In exchange, I would ask you to put the following links in your web:

    Title: Hostel Rio de Janeiro
    URL: http://www.chelagarto.com/index.php/pt/hostels-em-rio-de-janeiro.html
    Description: Che Lagarto Hostel em Rio de Janeiro está localizado no Rua Barata Ribeiro 111, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.


    Title: Hostel Santiago
    URL: http://www.hostalprovidencia.com/
    Description: Hostal Providencia in Santiago de Chile is located in Av. Vicuña Mackenna 92, Santiago de Chile.

    Title: Hostel Florianopolis
    URL: http://www.chelagarto.com/index.php/en/hostel-in-florianopolis.html
    Description: Che Lagarto Hostel in Florianopolis is located in Prefeito Acácio Garibaldi S. Thiago Av 300, Lagoa da Conceicao, Florianopolis, Brazil

    Title: Hostel Paraty
    URL: http://www.chelagarto.com/index.php/en/hostel-in-paraty.html
    Description: Che Lagarto Hostel in Paraty is located in Rua Benina Toledo do Prado 22, Paraty, Brazil.

    Title: Hostel Ilha Grande
    URL: http://www.chelagarto.com/index.php/en/hostel-in-ilha-grande.html
    Description: Che Lagarto Hostel in Ilha Grande is located in Vila de Abraão, Canto da Praia S/N, Ilha Grande, Brazil.

    Title: Hostel Buzios
    URL: http://www.chelagarto.com/index.php/en/hostel-in-buzios.html
    Description: Che Lagarto Hostel in Buzios is located in Rua Da Paz 7, Buzios, Brazil.


    If it’s ok for you, please send me an email telling me how you’d like your link, and I’ll add it. Thanks!

    Best wishes,
    Gilda

    ReplyDelete
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