Heavy rains in northern Chile caused flooding, hundreds to evacuate and cut roads

During this last weekend, heavy rains have affected the northern area of ​​Chile, leaving Hundreds of victims, houses flooded and roads blocked. The rains, in particular, mainly affected the pre-Andean sectors of the regions of Antofagasta, Atacama and Coquimbo.

Due to this situation, the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred) delivered a summary of the facts, stating that in the municipality of Sierra Gordain the Antofagasta region (located more than 1,300 kilometers from the capital Santiago), a total of five flooded houses have been reported so far.

On the other hand, in the municipality of Maria Helenain the same region, 140 families from the Mancor and Campo Lindo camps were affected. In the case of Copiapó, in the Atacama region, it has been reported that there are 39 isolated people following the activation of the Paipote stream.

In this same municipality, it was specified that 2,000 customers were left without electricity and others 2 thousand without drinking water. In turn, it was indicated that said locality no fuel supplyit is therefore provided by the SQM mining companyand in priority Fire brigade.

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As reported by Chilean media Radio BiobioIn the Horcón sector, the situation caused a landslide from the hills near the town, which cut off traffic in both directions.

Indeed, in the context of the match between Cobresal and Ñublense, for the fifth date of the Chilean first division tournament, there were heavy rains which forced the referee of the match to suspend the match played at the El Cobre stadiumlocated in the city of The Saviorin the upper part of the Atacama region.

Intense rain, accompanied by hail, thunder and lightning, were the climatic factors that stopped the game and forced the players of both teams on the field to return to the dressing rooms for almost half an hour. The duel ended in the 41st minute of the first half, when the match was 1-1, but finally it was possible to go on arguing.

On the other hand, the carabinieri of vicuna and of Pisco Elqui, localities located in the Elqui Valley, in the foothills sector of the Coquimbo region, reported that the inhabitants of four houses, in which water and mud entered, are isolated. According to what the major of the fifth police station in Vicuña said, Philippe Barrazaas a result of the above, a preventive evacuation began.

In the same line, the governor of Antofagasta, Ricardo Diaz, specifies that “the emergency committee must be chaired by the highest regional authority. I am president of the Association of Governors of Chile; We have always talked about the need to decentralize decision-making”.

“It cannot be that in the face of an emergency, in order to be able to allocate or to be able to deliver much more quickly, it depends on an authorization from the budget office. There must be a way to act faster in the face of an emergency,” he said.

It should be noted that, for the moment, the yellow alerts remain in force for the municipalities of Diego de Almagro and Alto del Carmen, in the Atacama region. Likewise, the Preventive Early Warning for the Antofagasta region and the municipalities of Copiapó and Huasco (Atacama), as well as for 10 municipalities in the Coquimbo region.

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