Undersecretary General of Government José Francisco Lagos confirmed on Wednesday that the government will accelerate studies to assess the installation of weather radars, according to La Tercera. Lagos made the announcement in an interview with Duna radio, a day after the storm that flooded streets and underpasses in Santiago.
Tuesday's storm was brief but intense. It brought rain, thunderstorms and hail. It flooded basements and several streets in the capital.
The episode occurred just days after last Thursday's mudslide, which caused serious damage in Las Condes. That event prompted the municipality's mayor, Catalina San Martín, to raise the need for technology that can provide advance warning of phenomena of this kind.
That technology is weather radar. These devices emit electromagnetic waves that interact with raindrops and ice particles, allowing precipitation to be detected and tracked. According to experts cited by the outlet, they could enable authorities to warn the public through the Emergency Alert System (SAE) and order precautionary evacuations.
Days earlier, Undersecretary of the Interior Máximo Pavez had confirmed that the government is considering acquiring these instruments. He specified that each radar costs around $800 million.
Lagos explained that the 2027 budget already includes radars, although they are intended for another risk. "Radars to monitor tsunamis, because we are also a country with tsunamis," he said. However, he acknowledged that recent events require looking at other phenomena.
"We are going to accelerate the studies to assess the effectiveness of these types of instruments and, if necessary, acquire them," the undersecretary said. He added that prevention is essential, particularly to alert people.
The official stressed that neither Tuesday's storm nor Thursday's mudslide caused any deaths. Even so, he admitted that this "could have happened". He therefore argued that all institutions must have the appropriate tools to respond to weather emergencies.
Lagos attributed the succession of events to a particular El Niño phenomenon. He said this is one of the rainiest Octobers on record and that rainfall has been concentrated in the areas where most of the population lives.
The debate also has a political dimension. Mayors such as San Martín and Ñuñoa's Sebastián Sichel have questioned the government's handling of the emergency. The source does not specify deadlines for the studies or how many radars would be purchased.
For now, the only concrete commitment is to accelerate the technical assessment. The purchase decision remains open, with a reference cost of $800 million per unit and a 2027 budget that currently only includes radars for tsunamis.
