Argentina: At least 13 dead from floods
At least thirteen people died in Argentina and hundreds left their homes Due to waterfalls They hit the city of Blanca, a port in the Atlantic Ocean, 600 kilometers southwest of Buenos Aires.
Eleven of thirteen victims have been recognized, and the City Council did not rule out the possibility of 350,000 residents dead in this city. At least five people lost their lives because they were trapped in their cars.
The flood left hospital rooms under the water, turned neighborhoods into islands and interrupted electricity into parts of the city. Minister of National Security Patricia Bulrich stressed, during an interview with Baia Blanca at the Mitre radio station, that it is now a « damaged city ».
Two little girls are missing – who according to local media are four years old and one year respectively – which are likely to be dragged by the water.
Somewhere 850 people were still displaced on Saturday afternoon, according to municipal data. Authorities estimate that Blanca fell within eight hours 400mm of rain, or in other words as it usually falls during a whole year.
Argentina: « Clear example of climate change »
The phenomenon was « unprecedented », said Javier Alonso, a security minister in the province of Buenos Aires, where Baia Blanca is administratively undergoing. « The largest storm in Baia Blanca was noted in 1930 », when « 175mm » rainfall was recorded, while the one that hit the city was « almost three times », he explained.
Terrble Flooding in Argentina due to Excessive Rainfall.
And not just in argentina…#Climatecrisis #Oceanoverheating #4elements #flooding pic.twitter.com/e1elr1guej
– Darico (@Daria60082282) March 8, 2025
The government released an urgent aid of 10 billion pesos (€ 8.6 million).
For Andrea Difourg, a specialist in environmental management, « this is a clear example of climate change », which is causing « extreme meteorological phenomena » such as heavy rains and others, which « manifested in this case with non -precedent floods » in some areas.
« But to prepare cities, to raise awareness and train citizens, to create alert systems effectively and to act » to prevent catastrophes, Diforgos, who is also an environmental director, added to the French Agency.
Massive Floods Due to Extreme Rainfalls in Tucumán, Argentina (08.03.2025) pic.twitter.com/mdhhstiqbd
– Disaster News (@top_disaster) March 8, 2025
Argentina: Hospitals flooded
Due to the deadly storm, Jose Penna Hospital was evacuated. « We flooded, the waters reached one and a half meters. Unfortunately, nothing is left, « said Dr. Edward Seminar on the C5N television network from his clinic affected by the floods.
TV plans from the city depict new mothers and nurses with newborns in their hands, as they are expedited with the help of the army from a neonatal unit at Hosse Pena Hospital, the largest in Baja Blanca.
Media spoke on Saturday about looting at night, transmitting visual material from shops that suffered vandalism.
The airport in Baya Blanca closed until younger and authorities ordered electricity to stop in some areas of the city to prevent the risk of electric shock. The electricity company said on Saturday that 120,000 users were left without electricity.
« We raised the dogs on the terrace, put the kids into the truck and stayed here, » said one resident. « Neighbors went up on terraces, » he added.
Buenos Aires Province, which is subject to Baja Blanca, announced on Saturday that he was sending boats and canoeing, 4 × 4 ambulances, two helicopters, food trucks, drinking water and equipment. Buenos Aires was also hit by the storm, but did not suffer significant damage.
Rainfall is projected to continue north, according to the extraordinary report of the Argentine meteorological service, while the Tukuman province (northwest) is already affected by floods.
