As El Niño intensifies, Rio turns to science — and a spiritual adviser

This year's Super El Niño has brought unprecedented weather to Rio de Janeiro. Unaccustomed to tornado-strength winds, the city found an unusual partner to combat the weather: a spiritual adviser. Transcript SCOTT DETROW, HOST: Scientists expect this year's El Nino climate pattern to be far stronger than previous ones. They're calling it a Super El Nino. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the government is getting ready. It's not only employing meteorologists, but also a unique specialist, a spiritual adviser, as Catherine Osborn reports.CATHERINE OSBORN, BYLINE: Rio de Janeiro is not used to tornado strength winds, but in late July, they tore through the city. Silvana Pereira watched the chaos unfold downtown.SILVANA PEREIRA: (Non-English language spoken).OSBORN: "It was horrible. Trees were dancing all over the place," says the 47-year-old hotdog vendor. "I've never seen anything like it in my life." As a huge tree smashed atop a taxi, she recorded the scene on her phone.(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)PEREIRA: (Non-English language spoken).OSBORN: "It fell on top of the car," she narrates, trembling with fear. Across the city, dozens more uprooted trees blocked roads, and a power failu...