Friday, January 20, 2023 | 8:45 a.m.
Flooded streets, landslides, roadblocks, formation of a mud “waterfall” and interruption of electrical service, were some of the consequences caused by a strong storm in Neuquén and Río Negro. One of the most dramatic moments occurred in Rincón de los Sauces, where a truck tried to cross a flooded road and got stuck. On board were two oil tankers that had to be rescued after falling into the water.
Localities in the provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén experienced a strong storm that caused serious inconveniences. During Thursday, rainfall was at least 20 mm in the Vaca Muerta area, where hail was also recorded. In a few minutes, the streets and roads began to flood and access to the deposits was affected.
One of the towns where one of the most shocking events occurred was in Rincón de los Sauces, where a truck was stuck on a flooded road and two oil tankers had to be rescued. The canyons of routes 5 and 6 tend to flood due to storms and for this reason, drivers who frequent the area know that it is dangerous to cross.
While some vehicles waited at the ends of the road until the water subsided, a truck tried to cross and got stuck. The force of the water was such that it began to move until it overturned. For this reason, its two occupants exited through the window to wait for rescue, but the current continued to move the vehicle and as the road machine approached, the workers fell into the water. Despite the initial scare, both managed to get closer to be rescued.
The intensity of the water not only dragged the truck but also generated serious flooding. So much so that in the town of Añelo a kind of “waterfall” was formed that led to the cutting of the route. Civil Defense and Volunteer Firefighters went to the place and a neighbor explained to LM Neuquén that “it was 15 to 20 minutes of falling water, at times while driving there were waves of water and mud, nothing could be seen.”
As for the consequences in said area, the Undersecretary of Civil Defense, Martín Giusti told LU5 that the most affected were the oil locations. However, in the cities “the amount of water that fell from the plateau has carried away part of the pavement.” After waiting for the water to finish draining, National Highway personnel cleaned the routes and circulation resumed with caution.
In addition to the flooding, lightning struck the Puerto Hernández substation and the cities of Rincón, Chaos Malal and Buta Ranquil were without power for nearly four hours, according to Giusti. In addition, in San Martín de los Andes landslides were generated that affected nearly seven homes in a sector of Chacra 30. Despite the magnitude of the event, only material damage was recorded and no injuries were reported.
On the other hand, before entering the Cuyín Manzano bridge, there was a flood that cut off the road. After the work carried out by road teams from Neuquén, the road was passable only for 4×4 vehicles.
In Río Negro the damage was similar and the Nahuel Huapi National Park Administration reported that they had to intervene in different incidents due to the rainstorm and electrical storm. One of the operations consisted of assisting a couple from Buenos Aires, who were walking along the path to Refugio Jakob when they were swept away by the strong flow of a river that crosses the route.
A helicopter from the National Fire Management System immediately intervened and allowed the couple to evacuate. The woman suffered a very serious injury to the left lower limb, while the man suffered several blows, so that both were transferred to the Zonal Hospital.
According to the National Meteorological Service, the alert for strong storms with heavy rains and gusts is maintained for the provinces of Río Negro, La Pampa and some cities of Buenos Aires. In addition, the storm alert will remain in Neuquén until this Friday at midnight. In this regard, it was indicated that the yellow alert implies the presence of possible meteorological phenomena with the capacity of damage and risk of interruption of daily activities.
