TDSounds

Rebuilding their carnivals: Grande Rio, Portela and Uniao da Ilha

The three schools affected by the fire in the city of samba are working frantically to rebuild their carnivals.

Grande Rio - Lost all of its floats and community costumes - presumably this means that at least some of the commercial costumes (the most luxurious) were kept elsewhere. They still have to produce 3,000 costumes, and are working 20  hours a day. Everyone is helping, fans, directorrs and even their Porta Bandera. Giant sculptures are being replaced. Grande Rio has been moved into a temporary work space in  barracao 7 in the city of Samba. Their president reckons that they will be able to parade five floats in carnival, all of which will have been built from scratch since the fire. But Grande Rio has plenty of resources.

Uniao da Ilha has already managed to reconstruct its float 'Arranha. 14 people have been working on it around the clock. The metal frame of the float was damaged in the fire, but it has been repaired. Their floats are squeezed into barracao 7 alongside Grande Rio's

Portela is remaking its costumes in the barracao of its childrens samba school, Portelinha, and its floats in the square in the centre of the Cidade do Samba.The president plans to put on a full carnival parade,  but there are problems sourcing materials, especially those that have to come from afar.

A lot more care is being taken over fire precautions now in the City of Samba, with firemen working in pairs in constant inspections of the areas at risk.