According to BioBioChile, ice accumulating during this Tuesday's intense hailstorm in the Metropolitan Region caused dozens of parking shelter roofs to collapse. In some cases, the structures fell onto vehicles, causing considerable damage.
The outlet based its report on recordings sent by Radio Bío Bío listeners, which showed multiple structures that had given way under the weight of the ice. According to those same accounts, Providencia appears to be the worst-affected municipality. So far, there is no official damage assessment or information about injuries.
The storm broke out over Santiago during the afternoon and brought hail and lightning for more than an hour. Strong wind gusts also hit municipalities in the southeastern part of the capital.
The precipitation left streets flooded and caused power outages that, at their peak, affected more than 43 thousand households. Among the worst-affected roads were Irarrázaval Avenue and the underpass at Carlos Dittborn and Vicuña Mackenna.
Transporte Informa, an initiative of the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications, reported traffic lights out of service, flooded underpasses and disruptions to RED bus services. The service urged "extreme caution when approaching underpasses" and called on people to avoid travel unless strictly necessary because of slippery roads and poor visibility.
The National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred) had canceled the Yellow Alert at 12:43 and declared a Preventive Early Warning. At 17:15, that measure was canceled and the agency declared a Red Alert for the entire region to mobilize all available resources.
The Chilean Meteorological Directorate reported that the thunderstorm alert will remain in effect until Tuesday night.
