The National Meteorological Service (SMN) has issued an alert for the Capital, Buenos Aires province, Entre Ríos, and communities along the Río de la Plata, citing strong winds and rising water levels caused by yesterdays’ ongoing storm. The Río de la Plata rose 1.8 metres above its normal level last night, according to the Naval Hydrography Service, affecting various cities situated along the river.
Among the most affected by the storm are La Plata, Quilmes, Bernal, Ensenada, Tigre, and Vicente López.
Of the areas along the river, Tigre has so far been hit the hardest, with water accumulating in 60 of its 1,600 city blocks, and some 30 streets completely flooded. In Vicente López, the city government closed four streets deemed impassable, and in the port of Olivos floodwaters breached the levies and advanced as far as the restaurants along the coast.
Although the river did not rise high enough to warrant mandatory evacuation, many families have chosen to do so of their own volition. The Naval Prefecture has developed a plan of action to evacuate those remaining near the river should it continue to rise.
“Each municipality has its own protocol […] for deciding whether or not to evacuate,” Martin Ferré, minister of Social Development in the province of Buenos Aires, told Página/12. “These populations coexist with the storm and are prepared for these cases.”
Winds between 30-60 kilometres per hour are expected throughout the day, reaching up to 80 kilometres per hour in coastal areas. This morning in the city of Buenos Aires, the wind caused an antenna to fall off a building on the corners of Corrientes and San Martín. No one was injured.
According to SMN, the intensity of the winds will diminish this afternoon as the low pressure moves to the southeast. Moderate showers are expected to continue throughout the day.
The storm comes about a month after previous flooding in the city and province displaced 1,700 people.
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