Argentina: Flooding in Salta and Chaco (northwest) continues /update 2

Event

Recent flooding in Argentina's northwestern provinces of Salta and Chaco had affected over 60,000 people as of Tuesday, February 6. Moreover, according to the Red Cross, over 2500 people in Salta and over 1000 others in Chaco have been forced to evacuate and have not yet been able to return home.

Transportation disruptions have been reported on a major thoroughfare near the Pilcomayo River, which has breached its banks in recent days. Though weather conditions are generally expected to improve in the affected areas in the coming days, according to the Argentinian Servicio Meteorológico Nacional, continued flooding and consequent additional evacuations and transportation disruptions are possible in the affected areas in the near-term.

Context

The flooding was provoked by heavy rains in the Pilcomayo River basin region, located in southern Bolivia, leading to the temporary evacuation of some 17,000 Salta residents. The Argentinian government has distributed food and other supplies, including antivenin (as poisonous snakes are forced into urban areas by floodwaters), to residents in the affected areas.

Advice

Individuals in Salta and Chaco provinces are advised to monitor developments to the situation and adhere to all instructions issued by local authorities (e.g. potential evacuation orders). Remember that driving or walking through running water can be dangerous - 15 cm (6 in) of running water is enough to knock over an adult - and that floodwater may contain wastewater or chemical products; all items having come into contact with the water should be disinfected and all foodstuffs discarded.