The number of transporters stranded in Cutral Co has increased to 300, due to the closure of the border crossings as a result of the storm of snow and rain. They have been waiting for eight days for transit to Zapala, Las Lajas and then to Chile. Assistance continues between the municipality and the Truck Drivers’ Union.
Since Wednesday night of the previous week when the weather conditions worsened and the snow began, they began to meet at the exit of Cutral Co, carriers prevented from moving westwards along Route 22.
From that moment on, the undersecretary of Civil Defense of Cutral Co began preparing the operation – as has happened every winter since the pandemic – to collaborate and assist drivers who needed to cover basic needs.
“We continue to assist these people with food, hot water, toilets in good condition with showers, infusions, grills and a room that they can use as a dining room,” explained the Undersecretary of Civil Defense, Edith Covatti.
The official specified that the days will be colder every day and the danger it implies for drivers who are inside their vehicles all the time. “They are very far from their homes because most of them are international loads and some have been traveling with their trucks for more than a month and a half,” she said.
He Mayor Ramón Rioseco toured the sector and visited the Civil Defense trailer which was installed in the City Park, in front of the Route 22, at the west exit of Cutral Co. He said that this situation of climatic conditions affects mainly the mountainous towns and that it is exceptional.
“In light of this, the municipal government has decided to protect the integrity of human beings, regardless of whether they are just passing through or live in our city. The situation is complex, because some transporters have already been waiting for several days to be able to continue their journey,” he said.
This is why we coordinated with the Truck Drivers Union to assist them, mainly with food and places in good condition so that they can have available toilets, showers with hot water, a dining space where they can stay and firewood, in case they prefer to use the grills in the park.
“It should be noted that this is a responsibility of National Highways, but since the government has currently dismantled it a little, we decided to take charge of the operation in the city,” he stressed.
