Thousands of people in Chile have been cut off from the outside world after heavy rains. Rivers had burst their banks, trees had fallen and slopes had slid. Meteorologists believe the flooding is the first sign of El Niño.
The people of Chile are suffering from the consequences of heavy rains. More than 12,000 people are cut off from the outside world because of severe flooding in the center of the country. Another 1,600 people sought refuge in emergency shelters, according to the South American country’s civil protection agency. Almost 1,500 houses have been destroyed so far and more than 3,000 others have been damaged. According to President Gabriel Boric, more rain has fallen in the past few days than it has in 30 years.
Two dead after rain
So far, two people have died in the floods and four others are still missing. After days of rain, numerous rivers burst their banks, trees fell and slopes slid down. Many roads became impassable.
“This rain is the first sign that the El Niño weather phenomenon is now reaching Chile,” said Fernando Santibáñez, a meteorologist at the University of San Sebastián. “It has existed in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru for over a month and is encroaching further south.”
El Niño changes weather conditions around the world due to changes in air and sea currents. More flooding is expected in parts of Africa and South America, while droughts and wildfires are on the rise in Southeast Asia and eastern Australia.
With regard to climate change, President Boric emphasized: “We will experience more and more adverse events from which we also have to learn.” On Sunday, the government declared five of Chile’s 16 regions disaster areas – including those around the capital Santiago.