Chile: Power outages affecting more than 500,000 households in Araucania and Los Lagos as of late March 17

Power outages are ongoing in the Los Lagos and Araucania regions as of late March 17; over 500,000 households are reportedly affected. The cause of the incident is not immediately clear. Officials have stated they are progressively restoring power.

Temporary commercial and communications disruptions are likely during the outages; cellular and mobile services could be affected. Traffic disruptions and longer driving times are likely during these periods due to malfunctioning traffic signals. Power outages could also result in temporarily unavailable essential services such as ATMs and filling stations. There is an increased security threat during power outages. Blackouts could adversely affect security protocols, including alarm systems and electronic fences; opportunistic criminal activity could increase during electricity outages.