Flooding wreaks havoc in Tucumán Province

A series of storms have caused major flooding in Argentina’s northern province of Tucumán, leaving dozens of people evacuated, streets and highways submerged, fallen trees and homes under water.

The region has been experiencing heavy rainfall since December, with around 800 millimetres recorded on average a month – about 70 percent of the typical annual total. 

However, 170 millimetres fell within just a few hours on Sunday night, causing rivers to burst their banks and groundwater levels to overflow.

On Wednesday, Tucumán Governor Osvaldo Jaldo visited the town of La Madrid, one of the worst-affected areas, to supervise assistance being provided by the provincial government to affected families.

A severe storm alert remained in place for Wednesday as emergency operations continued.

“People have never experienced a situation like this. Everyone we’ve spoken to says they have never seen this amount of rain fall in such a short time,” Jaldo said from the area on Wednesday.

Dramatic television images broadcast Wednesday showed more than 200 families being forced from their homes to evacuation centres. In some towns, streets were turned into canals and roads into lagoons.

“The water reached my bathroom, my bedroom and the dining room. It was coming up through the floor,” Dolores Rosa, a resident of the town of Simoca, told local television channel C5N on Wednesday.

“We’re asking the authorities for bottled water because the drinking water is coming out black,” said Rosa.

“Last night I cried out of anger because I have a disabled son with heart problems. If something happens to him I have to leave with him, and everything is flooded,” she said.

Across towns in southern Tucumán, many residents have been seen wading through waist-deep water carrying their belongings in black plastic bags, trying to salvage what they can. Others carried cats and dogs, rescuring from the deluge.

“170 millimetres fell – there is no river or drainage system capable of handling that amount,” Jaldo said during a press conference on Tuesday. “The groundwater table is saturated.”

The Peronist leader said that the Marapa River had burst its banks, causing severe damage to the towns that dot its shores.

In some areas, floodwaters have submerged entire vehicles and made roads impassable for residents. Some turned to small boats or kayaks to get around.

On Tuesday, the provincial government suspended classes across the region until Friday due to the severe weather.

Authorities also deployed emergency assistance through the Security, Health and Education Ministries to rescue residents and prevent diseases linked to flooding, among other tasks.

Argentina’s National Meteorological Service has issued a yellow alert for severe storms on Wednesday, with rainfall expected to continue until Friday.

Deputy assaulted

National deputy Federico Pelli, a member of the ruling La Libertad Avanza (LLA) party, was assaulted  on Tuesday while taking part in an operation assisting flood victims.

In a post on social media, Governor Jaldo confirmed that “police have detained the aggressor and placed him at the disposal of the Judiciary so the investigation can proceed and responsibilities be determined.”

The provincial leader condemned the attack on Pelli “in the strongest possible terms.”

“Violence has no place in our democratic life or in coexistence among the people of Tucumán. We stand in solidarity with him and his family,” Jaldo wrote.

– TIMES/AFP/NA