While the USA battled it out with Ghana in their World Cup match in the Brazilian city of Natal, just across the city landslides have destroyed roads and homes. Two days of near non-stop rain have dumped a month's worth of precipitation on Natal. At least 25 homes are reported to be destroyed after flash flooding. The downpour, which began in the north-eastern Brazilian city early Friday
, and abated only on Sunday, dumped as much rain in 50 hours as is usually seen during the entire month of June. There are no injuries confirmed. Incredible drone footage has captured the extent of the devastation. Natal's City Hall declared a flood alert on Saturday, and evacuated dozens of residents as a precaution in the Mae Luiza neighbourhood in the city's west. News reports showed images of residents wading through knee-deep waters as others pushed cars submerged up to the door handles. Additional reports showed a huge crater cutting across a street in a residential neighbourhood. Floods can often be deadly in Brazil, where intense rains, chaotic urban planning and garbage-filled drainage pipes sometimes result in landslides that bury entire neighbourhoods. Poor neighbourhoods, often built up steep hillsides, tend to be hit worst by such flooding. The southern Brazilian regions of Parana and Mato Grosso do Sul have also been hit by recent floods.
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