After several days with warnings for heavy snowfall, the storm continues to harm several provinces in the country. The National Meteorological Service (SMN) today published a yellow alert that applies to both the Cuyo area and Patagonia: the provinces of San Juan, Mendoza, Neuquén and Santa Cruz.
As safety measures, in the affected areas it is recommended to avoid outdoor activities, remove accumulated snow from roofs, drive with appropriate vehicles and ventilate the rooms.
At the same time, a extreme cold alert in Santa Cruz, at the yellow and orange level, and in Land of Fire, in red tone. In this last province, the dangers of low temperatures can affect all people, “even the healthy ones,” warns the SMN.
In the city of Caleta Olivia, north of Santa Cruz, low temperatures claimed the life of a 59-year-old homeless man. Identified as Óscar Víctor Quinteros by La Opinión Austral, two local residents found him on Thursday without vital signs, in an open field.
“There were no signs of violence or any bruises that would indicate a fall or violent death, our hypothesis is that he could have frozen to death,” a Santa Cruz police source had told the local media. Later, the autopsy on Quinteros’ body confirmed that he had cardiorespiratory arrest as a result of the low temperatures.
In the town of Piedra del Águila, Neuquen, 650 people were stranded on Thursday, according to city authorities told Diario Río Negro. That day at 8 p.m. the circulation of vehicles on provincial and national routes in the province was interrupted until 8 a.m. on Friday, due to inclement weather.
That is why spaces were enabled to contain the families that circulated through Route 237: The municipal gymnasium and the bus terminal station were converted into emergency shelters. In addition, more than 70 trucks and 15 buses with passengers had to be assisted by the municipality and firefighters. On Friday the situation was normalizing and those stranded were able to leave.
In turn, the National Gendarmerie evacuated three employees from the town of Las Cuevas yesterday, Mendoza, who were working at the site when Route 7 became impassable. Two people remain stranded in the area, one behind a local restaurant and another at a toll plaza. They will be rescued today, according to what was reported by Diario Uno.
Yesterday, 38 truck drivers who have been stranded for several days in Uspallata, the last stop enabled when going up Route 7, were also assisted. Although the majority received attention for minor checks, two suffered respiratory disorders and another had hyperglycemia.
The climate situation also represents a complication for the agricultural sector. One million sheep and 40,000 cattle are at risk, according to the president of the Federation of Santa Cruz Agricultural Institutions, Enrique Jamieson.
“The mortality of farms depends on nature,” he indicated, in dialogue with The Southern Opinion. He specified that 50% of the province’s sheep and cattle could die due to lack of food and extreme weather conditions.
“The issue is that there is already a lot of snow that has frozen below. There are layers of up to 10 centimeters that became ice and, above that, there are areas where 40 and up to 60 centimeters of snow fell. That makes it unviable no matter how much the animal scratches so that it can provide itself with food. If this continues for many days we will begin to have serious problems because many farms begin to die due to lack of food,” explained a Santa Cruz producer from the Argentine Rural Confederations (CRA).
He Christ redeemer, main land communication route between Argentina and Chile, today celebrated its tenth day closed. But he is not the only one, they follow him: in Mendoza, Cajón de Maipo, Las Damas, Las Leñas, Pehuenche, Portillo de Piuquenes and Vergara; in Neuquén, Cardenal Antonio Samoré, Carirriñe, Copahue, De Buta Mallin, Hua Num, Icalma, Mamuil Malal, Pichachén, Pino Hachado and Reigolil.
In Santa Cruz, the closed passes are Cerro Redondo, Cóndor, Ingeniero Pallavicini – Ibañez, Integración Austral, Jeinimeni, Lago San Martín – O’Higgins, Laurita – Casas Viejas, Marconi, Portezuelo de la Divisoria, Roballos and Río Mayer -Ribera Norte.
