Brazil 2014: State of emergency declared for flooding in Manaus; airport roof partly collapsed

A state of emergency was declared by mayor Artur Neto in Manaus following the flooding of the Rio Negro, whose level was at 30 metres on 26/05/2014. The Arena Amazonia (capacity 42,300), which will host four World Cup matches, including Italy-England on 14/06/2014 (15/06/2014 midnight in Central European Time), is located less than 6 kilometres from the river.

Part of downtown Manaus is flooded and the water level is expected to rise by 30 centimetres in the next few days. Metal bridges have been installed in commercial areas since the beginning of the year to prevent a flood of the Rio Negro from "paralysing the city" during the World Cup, as the mayor put it.

Due to the bad weather, part of the roof of Manaus Eduardo Gomes airport collapsed, inundating the lobby of the arrivals area and some parking areas on 20/05/2014. The airport, whose cost of renovation was estimated at 440m reais (about €140m), is the fastest way to reach Manaus, as no highway reaches this state capital.

• ANEEL, the Brazilian electric company said on 02/05/2014 that power outages may occur during the World…