Flood in north region of Brazil

Heavy rain in the northern regions of Brazil have resulted in flooding along the Madeira River since February 2014. Thousands of people have been evacuated, and the flooding is gradually growing worse as the water levels rise.

The Madeira River is a tributary of the Amazon River and the flooding is located in Rondonia, a state in northern Brazil on the border with Bolivia (which is also suffering from flooding). Water levels have risen to record levels as of 19 March, reaching 19 metres above the normal level, and it is forecast that it will continue to rise until the end of the month.

A state of emergency was declared in February and 22,000 homes have been evacuated in the area. Many villages along the river were flooded and roads inundated by the flood waters. It is estimated that the affected areas stretch from Porto Velho to Mutum-Parana. No casualties have been reported and this has been attributed to the quick evacuation of the area.