In five regions in central and southern Chile, it has been raining for days. Rivers burst their banks, causing authorities to evacuate thousands of residents. On Monday, dozens of schools suspended classes, with more rain expected in the days to come.
Heavy rains in central and southern Chile have again caused problems in five regions.
Red alerts have been issued for Maule, Ñuble and Biobío. The rain has caused rivers to burst their banks and streets in cities such as Talca and Constitución to turn into canals.
According to Interior Undersecretary Manuel Monsalve, two people have died. One was a firefighter, who drowned in a river near the town of Cañete when trying to save animals.
To avoid more victims, dozens of schools in southern Chile have suspended classes on Monday, while authorities are continuing their evacuation efforts. So far, 19,000 people have been asked to leave their homes. Nearly 700 houses, the majority in Maule and O’Higgins regions, were damaged by the rain or flooding.
Local media reported that historic rains were headed for the Santiago metropolitan area and central regions such as Valparaíso, with winds of up to 80km/h adding to the looming disaster.}
🔴 Si escuchas este sonido, evacúa con calma.
Nuestras autoridades están desplegadas monitoreando y ayudando en los territorios que se han visto afectados por el #SistemaFrontal. Es fundamental seguir las indicaciones del personal que está en terreno frente a una alerta de… pic.twitter.com/DUHvV1Lpc0
— Camila Vallejo Dowling (@camila_vallejo) August 19, 2023
Editor-In-Chief Boris van der Spek is the founder of Chile Today.