Devastating floods in Chile have claimed lives of at least six people and left 19 others missing.
The downpours in the usually arid region have been the heaviest in about 80 years, Reuters reported.
Flash floods in Chile's Atacama desert, one of the driest regions in the world, have left thousands of people without electricity or water. Chile's government has already declared a state of emergency for the Atacama desert region.
The heavy rainfall has affected areas in the regions of Antofagasta, Copiapo and Coquimbo. A health alert has been declared in these zones. The military has been deployed to Copiapo to help with the emergency.
According to the Euro News, the city has been partly cut off and the airport closed to commercial flights. Military helicopters have been flying in supplies to the worst affected areas as well evacuating people from some villages.
The unusual weather phenomenon was caused by a cold front hitting the Andes, The Reuters mentioned.
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| A child walks through a flooded street at Copiapo city (Reuters/Ivan Alvarado) |
According to the Euro News, the city has been partly cut off and the airport closed to commercial flights. Military helicopters have been flying in supplies to the worst affected areas as well evacuating people from some villages.
The unusual weather phenomenon was caused by a cold front hitting the Andes, The Reuters mentioned.
Original post: Natural Disasters List March 27, 2015
I feel bad for these people. The elders have valuable information & knowledge about survival that I hope they passed on to their families.
ReplyDeleteIve been seeing and hearing so much about dwindling water supplies all over tbe globe due to global warming. Yet here is one of the driest areas on the entire planet being inundated by floodwaters after the storm of the century. Try telling these poor displaced families and the families of the dead and missing that global warming is to blame for their hardships.
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