Brazil: In February of 2014, a state of emergency was declared in Brazil due to flooding from heavy rainfall in the country’s northern regions. As of 19 March 2014, water levels rose to 19 meters above normal and forecasters predicted an ongoing rise until the end of the month. Subsequently, the International Charter Space and Major Disasters was activated by the Brazilian Disaster and Risk Management National Centre (CENAD) on 21 March 2014.
Above: Flood map covering Porto Velho, Rondônia District. Source: Landsat-8. Map produced by INPE
The Brazilian National Institute for Space and Research (INPE) recently produced three new flood maps of Porto Vehlo and Mutum-Paraná in Rondônia, Brazil. Using satellite imagery from 25 March 2014, INPE identified two flooded areas along the Madeira River at Porto Velho, one located northeast of the Santo Antonio Hydroelectric Power Plant and another situated southwest of Porto Velho’s Rua Renato Peres Medeiros.
A comparison of Porto Velho satellite imagery from 24 and 29 March 2014 suggests that flooding worsened over time since two areas were inundated on the earlier date, whereas thirteen were flooded by the later date.
Lastly, satellite imagery from 28 March 2014 only shows the tree tops of Mutum-Paraná as the remainder of the region appears to be inundated. Flood waters also cover substantial portions of the BR364 Highway. Map products are available for online viewing and download in JPEG format on the International Charter Space and Major Disasters’ website.
