The presidential delegate for the Región Metropolitana (the Santiago Metropolitan Region), Germán Codina, called for the preventive evacuation of about 70 homes in Las Condes (a comuna, or municipality, in eastern Santiago) that were affected by the previous mudslide, according to La Tercera. The measure targets Tuesday afternoon, when the new frontal system is expected to reach its peak intensity.
Codina explained that the frontal system is convective and hits hardest during the warmest hours of the day. "It will be necessary there, specifically, to carry out an evacuation", he said of those houses.
He made the announcement alongside Louis de Grange, who serves as minister of both Transport and Telecommunications and Public Works. The two reviewed the condition of the foothill ravines while 10 comunas remain under Red Alert.
De Grange said they flew over seven critical ravines in a Carabineros (Chile's national police) helicopter. According to the minister, Nido de Águilas, in Peñalolén, and Locañas still hold rocky material.
The Honda ravine still has a significant layer of sediment, although teams from the Dirección de Obras Hidráulicas (DOH, the Hydraulic Works Directorate) have made progress clearing it. The Ramón, Macul and San Francisco ravines are clear, De Grange said.
The minister said containment nets have been installed in several parts of the foothills, with capacity for 15,000 cubic meters. That figure is well below the volume recorded in the Las Condes mudslide. For that reason, he warned that the works do not eliminate the risk and only help mitigate possible landslides.
Codina said the security perimeter will remain in place in the affected areas with support from Carabineros, to keep pedestrians and vehicles out of exposed zones. He also warned that preventive evacuations could be needed elsewhere in the region, such as areas along the Maipo River, informal settlements (campamentos) and zones near ravines.
The delegate asked schools and universities in at-risk areas to consider suspending in-person activities. He named the Universidad de los Andes, the Universidad del Desarrollo, Duoc UC and some schools in the eastern sector. "Hopefully they can move their classes from in-person to online", he said.
As for workers, Codina said they are evaluating measures with the Ministerio del Trabajo (Ministry of Labor) and other institutions to offer work alternatives. The source does not specify what these would be.
The Servicio Nacional de Prevención y Respuesta ante Desastres (Senapred, the national disaster prevention and response agency) declared a red alert on Sunday for mudslide-type mass movements in San José de Maipo, Puente Alto, Pirque, La Florida, Peñalolén, La Reina, Las Condes, Lo Barnechea, Vitacura and Colina.
