Chile Floods Leave 4 Million People Without Drinking Water

Red Alert issued in Santiago as heavy rains pound Chile and Uruguay unleashing severe flooding

An estimated 4 million people without drinking water, as torrential rains triggered severe flooding and major landslides and rivers breached their banks, polluting the drinking water  in the capital Santiago, according to reports.

More than four million Chileans are without drinking water, with seven million in the capital under threat, as tap water production falls to 35 percent of normal, the report said.

Violent storms deluge Uruguay

Extreme rain events have plagued central parts of South America, causing severe flooding in Uruguay, and prompting the authorities to declare a state of emergency.

Widespread devastation and multiple fatalities have been reported across the Andean country, with thousands of people left homeless.

At least one tornado has left four people dead in the town of Delores, 250km northwest of the capital, Montevideo.

Up to 190mm of rainfall in 24 hours has been reported in central Uruguay.

 

Global Disaster Headlines – September 18, 2013

581 People remain unaccounted for in Colorado floods

The number of people unaccounted for in the Colorado floods was revised to 581 Tuesday,  according to the Colorado Office of Emergency Management.

Oil-field flood tally: 1,900 wells shut

A drilling derrick near Greeley stands in the flood waters of the South Platte River. (Photo By Tim Rasmussen/The Denver Post)

-oOo-

Floods submerge Acapulco, death toll climbs, 40,000 tourists stranded

Mexico’s famous beach resort of Acapulco was in chaos on Tuesday as hotels rationed food for thousands of stranded tourists and floodwaters swallowed homes and cars after some of the most damaging storms in decades killed at least 55 people across the country.

-oOo-

‘Orange Alert’ as extra-tropical cyclone hits Montevideo, Uruguay

Uruguayan authorities issued an Orange Alert as an extra-tropical cyclone battered the capital Montevideo, forcing the evacuations of hundreds of people along the coastal areas in the South Atlantic Ocean. The cyclone cut power to more than 3,000 homes in the region.

Original Caption: A wave hits the dam on the coastal avenue in front of the Rio de la Plata during the passage of the extra-tropical cyclone that affects the country, in Montevideo, capital of Uruguay, on Sept. 17, 2013. The Uruguayan authorities issued an orange alert for the next hours by the passage of extra-tropical cyclone that has already caused power shortage to more than 3,000 homes, and more than 600 people have been evacuated in various departments of the country. (Xinhua/Nicolas Celaya)

Related Links

• Colorado Disaster Zone Spreads across 17 Counties September 17, 2013

• Twin Storms Leave 42 Dead, 1.2 Million Battered September 17, 2013

Puyehue ash raises river temp, kills salmon stock

Hot pyroclasts from ongoing Puyehue eruption raise River Nilahue temp to 45ºC (113ºF)—a rise of 35ºC

Tens of thousands of tons of hot volcanic materials from the ongoing Puyehue eruption have raised the temperature of Nilahue River to 45ºC (113ºF)—a rise of 35ºC, compared with seasonal average—contaminating the water and killing a large number of salmon, Chilean Public Works Minister.

The area near the Nilahue and GolGol rivers basin was evacuated on June 10, 2011 after the two rivers overflowed their banks, blocked by volcanic debris. The river flow rose by more than five fold, from 30 cubic meters per second (cmps) to more than 160 cmps, the minister said.

Nilahue River Chile. The river originates in Cordón Caulle volcanic range and discharges into Ranco Lake. Credit: Hprmedina.

Buenos Aires VAAC said Puyehue activity had intensified Thursady/ early Friday, but released the following bulletin reporting ‘DECREASING ACTIVITY’ late Friday.

VAAC: BUENOS AIRES
 VOLCANO: CORDON CAULLE 1507-141
 PSN: S4052 W07220
 AREA: CHILE-C
 SUMMIT ELEV: 1798M
 ADVISORY NR: 2011/030
 INFO SOURCE: GOES 12 - GFS MODEL
 ERUPTION DETAILS: DECREASING ACTIVITY
 OBS ASH DATE/TIME: 10/1900Z
 OBS ASH CLOUD: SFC/FL150 S4052 W07220 - S4100 W07100 - S4145 W06800 -
 S4140 W06300 - S4300 W06300 - S4340
 W06700 - S4155 W07100 -S4052 W07220
 FCST ASH CLD +06HR: 110200Z SFC/FL150 S4052 W07220 - S4116 W06800 -
 S4130 W06510 - S4150 W06120 - S4335
 W06141 - S4325 W06740- S4052 W07220
 FCST ASH CLD +12HR: 110800Z SFC/FL150 S4052 W07220 - S4143 W06555 -
 S4150 W06020 - S4413 W06030 - S4355
 W06745 - S4052 W07220
 FCST ASH CLD +18HR: 111400Z SFC/FL150 S4052 W07220 - S4124 W06317 -
 S4025 W05547 - S4312 W05630 - S4350
 W06100 - S4367 W06720- S4052 W07220
 RMK: MULTISPECTRAL SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOW AREA OF REMANENT VA ASH
 FROM PREVIOUS EMISION
 SFC/FL140 MOV E 40KT TREND DISSIPATING AREA S3600 W05800 - S2800
 W05300 - S02900 W04500 - S3000 W04000 -
 S3300 W03900 - S3900 W04500 - S3500 W04300 - S3100 W04500 - S3000
 W05200 - S3600 W05800
 FCST ASH CLD+06HS: SFC/FL150 110200Z S3500 W05400 - S2700 W04500 -
 S2600 W04100 - S3000 W03800 - S4000
 W040 - S3300 W04200 - S3100 W04500 - S3500 W05400
 FCST ASH CLD+12HS: 110800Z NO ASH EXP
 FCST ASH CLD+18HS: 111400Z NO ASH EXP
 NEXT ADVISORY: WILL BE ISSUED BY 20110611/0200Z

Air Travel

Flights from several airports in Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil. remain grounded for a third day on Saturday.

“At least six international carriers suspend flights between Buenos Aires and cities in US, Europe and South America,” a report said.

“Many flights from airports in southern Brazilian cities such as Porto Alegre and Florianopolis – some 2,500km (1,550 miles) from the volcano – were cancelled on Friday,” according to another report.

San Carlos de Bariloche

Meanwhile, in the ski resort city of San Carlos de Bariloche,  workers removed about 15,000 tons of volcanic ash (600 truckloads) from the airport’s main runway on Thursday.  Authorities said the airport would remain closed at least until June 21, AP reported.

Puyehue Volcano Satellite Images

A fissure on Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcanic range opened on June 4, 2011, ejecting ash to a height of about 16km. Natural-color image captured by MODIS on the Aqua satellite moments after eruption began. Source: NASA-EO. Click images to enlarge.

Eruption at Puyehue-Cordón Caulle began on June 4, 2011. This natural-color satellite image was taken by the MODIS aboard Terra satellite on the early morning of June 6, 2011, when according to the Buenos Aires Volcanic Ash Advisory Center the ash plume was reaching an altitude of about 12km above the summit crater.  Source: NASA-EO. Click image to enlarge.

Click animation link to view the transport of the plume from 1:45 pm local time June 4, 2011, until 10:45 am June 6, 2011.

Related Links

• Puyehue Volcano Satellite Images
• Puyehue volcano update
• Chile’s Puyehue volcano explodes

FIRE-EARTH Volcano Watch

• A New Era of Intense Volcanic Unrest May Have Begun
• World’s Dormant Volcanoes Firing
• VolcanoWatch Weekly [16 September 2009]

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links