The Metropolitan Region remains under a Red Alert because of a frontal system that caused damage, flooding and evacuations on Tuesday night. The hardest-hit municipalities were Puente Alto, Peñalolén and Talagante, and rainfall could continue into the early hours of Thursday.
According to BioBioChile, the most serious situation occurred in Talagante. The Mapocho River overflowed, forcing another evacuation of the Ribera del Río settlement.
The National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred) activated an Emergency Alert System (SAE) notification on residents' mobile phones to warn them of the flood risk.
The presidential delegate for Talagante Province, Annemarie Müller, reported that most residents followed the instruction. "Practically 90% of the people there were evacuated. We always say 90% because there are always people who stay in their homes… They remain there and don't want to leave," she explained.
In Puente Alto, the problem was concentrated on Concha y Toro Avenue, near the boundary with Pirque. A layer of asphalt came loose before the San Ramón bridge, forcing traffic to be halted on one of the main connections between the two municipalities.
Puente Alto Mayor Matías Toledo blamed the Housing and Urban Development Service (Serviu) for the quality of the asphalt on that road, which is reportedly under the agency's responsibility. Municipal crews removed the material with heavy machinery, and traffic resumed in both directions.
In Peñalolén, rising water in the channel running through the Nido de Águilas ravine spilled onto the street at the intersection of Álvaro Casanova and Las Vertientes. From there, the water flowed forcefully downhill toward Diagonal Las Torres and then west along José Arrieta Avenue.
The municipality clarified on social media that the channel had not overflowed. It explained that, because Álvaro Casanova crosses the ravine, "water commonly flows along this street during rainfall".
According to Senapred's latest report, 103 people are in shelters in the Metropolitan Region. The sources consulted do not detail any specific recommendations from the agency for the coming days.
Because of the storm, five municipalities suspended classes this Wednesday, the 21st: La Florida, Puente Alto, Isla de Maipo, Peñaflor and Buin. San José de Maipo implemented a partial suspension, while rainfall could continue into the early hours of Thursday.
