Argentina – Floods in Santa Fe and Buenos Aires Force Hundreds to Evacuate

Over 600 people have been forced from their homes after flooding in the provinces of Santa Fe and Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 26 December 2016. Flooding has also been reported in Cordoba and Entre Ríos where a small number of evacuations have been carried out.

One flood related death has been reported by local media. The victim died after his car was swept away by flood water in Ramallo, a city is located next to the Río Paraná, Buenos Aires Province.

Buenos Aires Province

Argentina news agency, Télam, reports that 11 districts in the north of the province of Buenos Aires have been affected by the floods, with many areas recording over 200 mm of rain in 24 hours. The districts are: Pergamino, Ramallo, Colón, Arrecifes, Rojas, Salto, San Nicolás, Florentino Ameghino, General Villegas, Baradero and San Antonio de Areco.

Over 400 people have been evacuated in the province, with as many as 300 of them in the city of Pergamino, where the Pergamino river has overflowed. As of 28 December, the flooding had started to recede and residents have begun to clean up the flood damage. However a further storm has been forecast for the weekend which could bring yet more flooding.

Around 150 people had to be evacuated from their homes in the town of Arrecifes, which lies about 50km south east of Pergamino, after the Arrecifes river overflowed.

Troops are providing assistance to flood victims in Pergamino, San Nicolás de los Arroyos and Arrecifes.

Agricultural areas in the north west province suffered flooding in October this year. Long term rainfall destroyed crops and left wide stretches of land under water for weeks.

Santa Fe, Cordoba and Entre Ríos Provinces

In Santa Fe, around 200 people have been evacuated from their homes in the towns of Maria Teresa and Alvarez.

In Cordoba province, EFE news reports that around 50 families were evacuated after flooding in the town of Jovita.

In Entre Ríos, flooding has been reported in the cities of La Paz and Paraná after the Paraná river overflowed. According to local reports, only those communities located along the river’s edge were affected.

Rainfall

Figures for a 24 hour period according to WMO:

25 to 26 December

• Marcos Juarez – 86 mm
• Rosario – 72.8 mm
• Gualeguaychu – 68 mm
• La Plata – 51 mm
• Colonia – 76.0 mm
• Carrasco – 53.5 mm

26 to 27 December

• Paso de Los Libres – 64 mm
• Resistencia – 69.7 mm
• Reconquista aero – 62 mm

December 2015 Floods

The flooding comes almost exactly a year after devastating floods of 2015. This time last year thousands were forced to evacuate their homes when rivers overflowed in Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay. Over 100,000 people remained displaced two weeks after the flooding first struck.

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