The Servicio Nacional de Prevención y Respuesta ante Desastres (Senapred), Chile's national disaster prevention and response agency, on Wednesday, October 7, ordered the evacuation of two areas in the lower basin of the Mapocho River after it overflowed its banks. The affected areas are the Pedro de Valdivia informal settlement, in the Puerto Príncipe sector of El Monte, and the town of La Manresa, in Talagante. Both comunas (Chile's smallest administrative units, roughly equivalent to municipalities) are in the Región Metropolitana, the region that includes Santiago.
According to BioBioChile, the agency activated messaging from the Sistema de Alerta de Emergencia (SAE), Chile's emergency alert system, in the El Monte settlement. This system sends alerts to mobile phones located in the risk zone. CNN Chile and El Mostrador reported that Senapred sent the same alert for La Manresa.
The message asked residents to evacuate, stay calm and follow the authorities' instructions. Senapred also reminded them: "Remember your pet and its needs". So far, the sources have not reported where the meeting points or shelters are located.
In Talagante, Carabineros, Chile's national police, reported that the river rose significantly. It added that the most affected homes were unauthorized buildings. One house was cut off by the water, and a Carabineros helicopter rescued seven people, according to CNN Chile.
El Monte and Talagante lie in the lower part of the Mapocho basin. According to El Mostrador, the river's level had already risen as it passed through Santiago on Tuesday, October 6. The rise was caused by the frontal system affecting the central part of the country.
According to that outlet, the rainfall exceeded last week's forecasts. Tuesday's rain left more than 10,000 homes without electricity and caused flooding, traffic problems and damage. In addition, one person died in San Bernardo.
So far, the sources have not reported how many families live in the areas that must be evacuated. There is also no official damage assessment. BioBioChile said it is still gathering more information about the emergency in El Monte.
