February 23, 2023 will be engraved forever in the memory of Milagros Olariaga.
And not only because it was the day her second child was born, but because of
the odyssey she had to go through to give birth
while her town, in the province of San Juan, was being affected by
one of the worst
floods since 1987
. .
Outside, the water accumulated by the rains had come down forcefully
from the foothills of the Andes
, turning the dirt streets of Barreal into rivers
, 90 kilometers from the capital San Juan
- or more than 200 if you take the route plan.
Inside the neighborhood, in a
nun house
that was trapped in the middle of the flood, was the 24-year-old from San Juan, who was in the final stage of her
pregnancy dated March 1
.
"But unexpectedly
That afternoon
I suffered a pang
," he told
Clarín
about the beginning of what ended up being an
almost film rescue.
The pain was an alert.
But it was accompanied by other discomforts that made her decide to call 911.
The problem was that, from anywhere,
access to the house was almost impossible
due to the "strong and high current of water coming down."
"We called the same and they sent us to
an ambulance
. But when he was on his way to the place where I was,
he had to return
because the flood prevented him from passing. Then I already
started labor,
having contractions every 2 minutes, "said who was Also accompanied by her four-year-old daughter.
The solution was
the Gendarmerie
, which quickly sent a mobile to the home, dealing with the obstacles of nature.
But then, another bad one: the vehicle that was traveling to help her
broke down and was stranded
several blocks away, so the gendarmes decided
to continue on foot
.
By then the tension was greater and fear and worry had taken over Milagros.
"It scared me because
I never thought my son would be born in these circumstances.
The floodwaters continued to fall very strongly and with a dangerous height of water. I had already put on a nightgown. The baby wanted to be born but I was very afraid and did not want to ", he recalled.
In the middle of the drama, the woman was able to assess the situation.
"I think that the mixture of feelings that I had at the moment that I saw the flood going down
was what brought the delivery forward
, I felt fear at that moment.
What is happening is a tragedy,"
he stressed, representing the fear felt by all the residents of the area when these floods occur.
That day
destroyed 30 houses
, required the evacuation of almost a dozen families and caused damage to
80% of the structure of the town.
The arrival of the gendarmes, rescue and successful delivery
Help finally arrived at the scene: "I was
also very
scared because it was not time for my baby to be born. When the gendarmes arrived they tried to reassure me and asked me if I wanted to go to the hospital, which I said yes."
And he continued: "They helped me walk until I got there and get into the truck. Once there one of the gendarmes had me hugged trying to immobilize my body through the wells that were on the street we were traveling on our way to the hospital. They helped
me
get I felt safe and calm."
The woman and her son with the gendarmes, after giving birth in San Juan.
Photo Gendarmerie
"When we got to the hospital, they helped me down and took me straight to the delivery room. I was still afraid but they tried to calm me down and helped me give birth to my
son who was born healthy
," she said excitedly.
For Milagros everything was very fast and, at the same time, very slow.
As if February 23 had been more than one day with more hours than the 24 that are counted.
He acted out of inertia.
But after
giving birth she fell back on reality
.
"At the time after the delivery I felt confused by everything that had happened,
very tired and without strength
. I saw my son and I could not believe what had happened. Afterwards I could not sleep, despite the fatigue, "he shared your impressions.
The return home and the reunion with his daughter
A few hours later, Milagros
returned home
.
The streets no longer seemed like rivers, but the route was just as hampered by
the consequences caused by the storm
.
"The streets of the town are destroyed
with craters
. They cannot be traveled, there are stones and a lot of clay. Many houses flooded, losses of material belongings, streets and hills broken by the passage of water," he detailed in a description of the neighborhood after the strong floods.
This 2023 there were
two in 15 days
.
The gendarmes with the newborn baby.
Photo Gendarmerie
Regarding the reunion with her daughter, she recounted: "On Friday, February 24, I was already discharged since my baby and I were in perfect health. That day, the gendarme Ensign Álvaro
Benjamin and First Corporal Sosa Marcos Pablo
were present in the hospital and they offered me their help to go to look for my daughter at the house of the Sisters".
And he continued: "The streets had been destroyed and difficult to navigate due to the flood, even so it was not an impediment for them to arrive and
be able to meet with my daughter
. Then we went to Irma's house - one of her close friends - who put me up at home after discharge.
DS
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