"There are parts of the city that seem to be having an extended autumn, in others it's like nothing has happened," describes a spokesperson for the commune about the two faces that were exposed in Miramar after the havoc caused by Tuesday's violent storm that left two people dead.
One of those faces looks restored, it can be seen for example when it looks out over the coast, with the lines of tents reassembled, umbrellas unfurled and a sun that enlivens the beach, "as if nothing had happened". The other, from the center to the west, is still in the process of recovery.
The "extended autumn" of which the official speaks is the streets that three days later continue with a tapestry of leaves that the wind tore from the trees, only that they are of a green that identifies them with summer. "Coming from the west, you find that in every block he knocked down a tree," says Francisco Palmares, manager of the bus terminal that suffered the consequences of the gusts of wind and lost part of the roof of the docks.
That is why, since the activity resumed, the buses operate on 40th Avenue. Passengers get on and off the buses on the sidewalk of the terminal. The dock is closed until the report of the architect hired by the concessionaire is known, that the insurer inspects and there are no risks.
On Friday, a group of workers with two cranes was working to clear the structure that was exposed after the wind tore off four roof panels measuring 9 by 11 meters each. The sheets are twisted at one end of the beach as if they were made of paper, next to two concrete columns that the wind tore from the base, leaving the irons of the structure exposed in each one, somewhat flimsy to the naked eye.
The damage that is still seen in the city of Miramar. Photo: Gabriel Bulacio
The season goes on in Miramar as in many towns on the Atlantic Coast, with ups and downs, short-term tourism that arrives strong for the weekends. Merchants say that as never before, tourists calculate each price before spending a peso. A difficult season that for many ended prematurely.
The stallholders of the micro-entrepreneur fair who worked 22 years ago under a tent set up from December to March at the intersection of 23rd and 26th avenues, in downtown, had everything taken away by the storm. The structure of the tent, which was about 70 meters long, was rendered useless, only a few tarpaulins were recovered. "It was our capital (for the tent), we had bought it as an association," says a fairgoer.
The wind tore it off the ground and lifted it whole, it was almost vertical on a row of plane trees, trees that were cut down. "It was ours and I don't want to think about how much it must be worth, some millions of pesos that we don't have," says Alejandro Rodríguez, one of the micro-entrepreneurs who is trying to rearm himself in some way so as not to lose the rest of the season.
Buses park outside the terminal. Photo: Gabriel Bulacio
Despite the losses, which for some of them were total, Rodriguez says luck was on their side. "A disgrace because it affected us all, but it could have been a tragedy if the storm happened just an hour later," he explains. They open at six o'clock in the evening; The storm occurred a few minutes after five o'clock.
"There are 45 of us, plus the people who could be walking at that moment, it would have been tragic," he assesses: "We are putting together a project to continue, we hope that the Municipality will support us. In the meantime, get to work. We never give up."
Unfortunately, Tuesday's storm left two people dead. A 17-year-old boy, Benjamín Carmona, who shortly after arriving home on his bicycle was hit in the head by a tree branch, and Mónica García, 65 years old (she had been mistakenly reported to be 84), also hit by a detached segment of a tree.
There were a few minor injuries, all out of danger, and those who will suffer the aftermath of the storm's fury, which lasted seven minutes.
Fallen branches in the city of Miramar. Photo: Gabriel Bulacio
"That same night, when I went to bed, I had the blows in my head, I could hear the screams of the people," says Javier Aseguín, manager of La Chocolatta, a traditional confectionery in Miramar. It has three branches, the one on Fortunato de la Plaza Avenue at 1800 had to close. The wind blew out the window, ripped off the entire roof, and carried it about a hundred yards from the site. At that time, there were about 25 people on site, including employees and customers.
"First the windows in the front smashed, and there was already an uproar, with shouting, there were children at a table. Then the roof was blown off. The first thing I did was to take everyone out and put them in the kitchen, which has a lower ceiling, I cut the thermal and we waited there. It wasn't an instant, it lasted a long time," recalls Aseguín, who a decade ago exchanged the daily hustle and bustle of life in Lanús, in Greater Buenos Aires, for the placidity of Miramar.
The coast, in the downtown area where the storm hit, looks restored, something surprising after the images that went viral with tents torn from the sand and shaken by the wind as if they were garlands.
"The boys worked all night to be able to reassemble the tents," said the administration of the Ocean Miramar beach resort, on 11th Street and Costanera. We had lost 40 of the 100 tents we have. The next day we relocated the customers, today everything is set up again."
Miramar. Special Envoy
ACE