The rains do not let up in Chile and a tornado destroys at least 11 homes

The passage of a tornado this Tuesday left at least 11 homes destroyed and more than 20 people isolated in the center and south of Chile, strongly hit in recent days by intense storms and winds.

The main damage was recorded in the Bío Bío region, where the gales formed a low intensity tornado that devastated a dozen residences and caused trees, poles and electricity cables to fall, causing power outages.

According to the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred), the meteorological event was an “EF-0 classification tornado, with a wind range recorded between 105 and 137 kilometers per hour.”

At least 24 people remained isolated in Bío Bío while authorities issued alerts for new rains, winds and other weather phenomena in various areas of the country.

For several days the rains have been falling without respite in Chile, which has generated concern among the population about the risk of new catastrophes.

“Urgent help is needed from the municipality, because on Thursday it will rain again,” he told The Associated Press Fabiola Martínez, whose house was damaged by the tornado in Bío Bío.

The arrival of the phenomenon coincided with the visit of President Gabriel Boric to the region to assess the damage caused by last week’s storms, which have left one dead, four injured and thousands affected.

“We landed in Concepción to coordinate the work on the ground and expedite the delivery of aid in areas affected by the frontal system in the BioBío region,” Indian the president in X, formerly Twitter.

Bío Bío has been on “red alert for meteorological events” since June 11 due to the high probability of new storms, tornadoes, landslides, mudslides and landslides.

Already in the extreme south of Chile, the city of Punta Arenas is under warning due to the “loss of connectivity” in different areas, where temperatures are expected to drop to six degrees Celsius below zero.

“Due to the meteorological conditions of the sector, characterized mainly by intense snowfall, there is a loss of land connectivity in urban and peri-urban sectors of the Punta Arenas commune, which has not been able to be overcome with local resources,” Senapred reported.

While the emergency situation is in force, all classes in the commune are suspended.

For its part, the government indicated that it will mobilize more resources, personnel and equipment in the coming hours to “control the situation, given the extent and severity of the event.”

The movement of a frontal system last week left a trail of destruction in much of Chile, which declared a disaster zone in seven of its 16 regions. The storms and gales caused extensive flooding, street closures, suspension of classes, landslides and widespread damage, in addition to leaving almost 100,000 homes without electricity.

The meteorological service warned on Tuesday about the arrival of a new frontal system that will bring new storms and snowfall. Likewise, a mass of cold air will cause moderate to intense frosts in the southernmost part of the country, where thermometers could read up to 16 degrees below zero.

Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels Youtube, WhatsApp and to the newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, x and instagram.