The debris flow that struck San Carlos de Apoquindo, in Las Condes, brought renewed attention to the weather radar network that Chile has yet to install, according to Cooperativa. University of Santiago (Usach) climatologist Raúl Cordero says that commitment was made after the tornadoes of 2019.
In July, Cordero told CNN Chile that the plan called for between eight and 12 Doppler radars for the Chilean Meteorological Directorate (DMC), distributed from Valparaíso to Los Lagos. His remarks, later reported by Diario Usach, indicated that the initiative remained stalled because of a lack of funding. The source does not specify which agency was supposed to fund it or whether there is a new deadline.
The issue resurfaced after Quebrada Honda overflowed and criticism arose over the failure to send an Emergency Alert System (SAE) warning. The National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred) described the renewed activity in the ravine as a "sudden and unexpected" event, leaving no time to coordinate evacuations.
Arnaldo Zúñiga, a DMC meteorologist, described the technical gap in comments to Emol that T13 republished. The country currently relies on geostationary satellites that measure cloud-top temperatures, a measurement with limitations for tracking intense rainfall minute by minute.
A radar provides what a satellite cannot: the exact location of rainfall and its intensity. With that information, emergency teams can anticipate risks and respond better.
Ayaz Alam, who holds a doctorate in geology and is an academic at Usach, qualified that expectation. "A weather radar is indeed important (...), but it is not enough on its own," he told Diario Usach. He explained that in a small ravine, the equipment provides anywhere from minutes to hours to evacuate, although it does not reduce the damage.
Alam argued that radars must operate alongside rain gauges to measure rainfall, stream gauges to measure flow rates, and sensors that detect movement on slopes. He cited Medellín and Rio de Janeiro as examples, along with the United States and Japan.
For the geologist, these systems help warn people living in low-lying areas and get them out in time, but they do not replace prevention. "Mitigation requires continuous, long-term work on the ground," the academic said.
