Weeklong rainstorms in Chile blamed on El Nino kill at least 10 and trigger flash floods
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Weeklong rainstorms blamed on El Nino that have battered Chile have killed at least 10 people as authorities raced on Tuesday to reach more than 100,000 cut off by flash floods in what has been one of the country’s worst weather disasters in decades.
Torrential rains and strong winds continued to lash the usually arid northern regions of Atacama and Coquimbo, where the government of President José Antonio Kast declared a state of emergency on Monday.
Authorities said the storms have also injured 16 people and displaced over 4,000 others, with 1,031 staying in emergency shelters. Thousands more have been left without electricity or drinking water.
The rainfall has so far destroyed 81 homes and damaged more than 20,000. Chile’s national disaster response service, Senapred, has sent out hundreds of evacuation alerts to 10 out of the country’s 16 regions.
Swollen rivers and flooded roads have stranded 104,271 people, Senapred reported, warning that overwhelmed rivers will remain a threat even when the rainfall eases.
“River levels do not necessarily rise at the same time precipitation is falling,” said Alicia Cebrián, the head of Senapred. “Water accumulates in the foothill areas, which means river levels can continue rising even hours after the storm system has passed.”
Meteorologists attribute the deluge in Chile to the return of El Nino, a powerful, naturally occurring phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean that drives temperatures higher and exacerbates extreme weather events. El Niño is typically associated with heavier rainfall in parts of southern South America.