The intense storms that hit much of the northeast of the country caused two deaths in the provinces of Chaco and Formosa. The National Meteorological Service maintains the provinces of Misiones, Chaco, Formosa and Corrientes with warnings ranging from yellow to orange.
This Wednesday afternoon, a phenomenon of high intensity struck the city of Formosa and some towns in the interior, causing trees and poles to fall from the power grid. In the La Paz neighborhood of the town of El Colorado, 140 kilometers from the provincial capital, a one-year-old baby died after being hit by a tree branch.
Police spokesmen said the storm hit shortly after 16 p.m. The wind ripped the roof off the precarious house where a 00-year-old man, a member of an indigenous community, was with his two children.
This is how the pitch looked before the second half between Defensores de Formosa and Deportivo Mandiyú, due to the storm. Photo: Deportivo Mandiyú
The father and his two children left the house to try to take refuge elsewhere, but a tree fell on the three of them, leaving them imprisoned. With the collaboration of a team of firefighters, the victims were assisted and taken to the local hospital, where around 19:00 p.m. the death of the youngest, a one-year-old baby, occurred; while his father was hospitalized with serious injuries. The eldest of the little brothers had only a few bruises.
Also in the city of Resistencia, Chaco, the storm was intense and caused a large number of trees to fall. One of those specimens collapsed on a house at 3 Ayacucho Street, in the Golf Club neighborhood, where Ricardo Alberto Vuisi, 000, was resting.
When the police were able to enter the house to rescue the man, they found that he no longer had vital signs.
Destruction, falling trees and blowing off roofs due to the storm in Formosa. Photo: Twitter @ClaudiFormosa
In Corrientes, meanwhile, there was intense rainfall in the central area of the province, causing the flooding of houses and the interruption of traffic on several routes due to sinkholes. In Esquina, meanwhile, a section of the "Diego Armando Maradona" waterfront collapsed.
On Thursday, the National Meteorological Service (SMN) issued storm alerts for areas of the provinces of Formosa, Chaco, Corrientes, Misiones, San Luis, Mendoza, La Pampa, Neuquén and Río Negro. The most severe phenomena could occur in the area of the capital of Formosa and the towns of Laishí, Pilagás, Pilcomayo and Pirané. They detailed that the orange warning implies "meteorological phenomena dangerous to society, life, property and the environment".
The area will be affected by storms, some locally strong or severe, which may be accompanied by intense gusts, occasional hail, strong electrical activity and mainly abundant rainfall in short periods; while accumulated precipitation values between 80 and 100 millimeters are estimated, which may be exceeded in a timely manner.
Meanwhile, the entire territory of Misiones, the center of Formosa, northern Corrientes and most of Chaco are under yellow alert.
Thunderstorms, some locally strong, are expected, with possible intense gusts, strong electrical activity, occasional hail and abundant rainfall in short periods. "Accumulated precipitation values between 30 and 60 millimeters are estimated, and may be exceeded in a timely manner," the SMN said.
Towards the Cuyo region, a yellow alert is also in force in most of Mendoza and in the west and south of San Luis, where the accumulated values of rainfall will be between 20 and 40 millimeters.
The same conditions apply to the west of La Pampa, the east of Neuquén and the town of General Roca and the east of El Cuy, in Río Negro. In this case, the accumulated rainfall is estimated to be between 10 and 25 millimeters, and may be exceeded in a timely manner.