"White Earthquake" Hits Chile
Jul 23, 2011 16:19:33 GMT -5
Post by PrisonerOfHope on Jul 23, 2011 16:19:33 GMT -5
'White Earthquake' Leaves Part of Chile Under As Much As Nine Feet Of Snow
Updated: Thursday, 21 Jul 2011, 12:12 PM EDT
By NewsCore
SANTIAGO, Chile - A snowfall so fierce the Interior Minister described it as a "white earthquake" Thursday enveloped communities and blocked roads in Chile's central Araucania region, isolating thousands.
The Santiago Times newspaper reported President Sebastián Piñera declared much of Araucania a disaster area following four days of non-stop snow, piling as high as nine feet (2.7m) in some areas, amid polar temperatures.
"In four days we have had four months worth of snowfall," said Regional Governor Miguel Mellado in a television interview. "We've got a very difficult situation here."
With 70 percent of the population living in rural areas, Mellado estimated that 6,500 people were isolated as a result of the storm, the Times reported.
Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter Wednesday called the situation a "white earthquake," CNN reported.
"This storm is strong," he said, "and it is likely that in the coming days we could suffer from more bad weather fronts, more heavy snowfall, that make the situation even worse."
The Times said Pinera described the Arctic temperatures as the worst the region had seen in 30 years.
Among the most hard-hit places was Lonquimay, a town of just over 10,000, where temperatures reportedly plunged to -9.4 Fahrenheit (-23 degrees Celsius), freezing pipes and leaving much of the city without water, the paper said
Read more: www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/offbeat/white-earthquake-leaves-part-of-chile-under-as-much-as-nine-feet-of-snow-ncxdc-072111#ixzz1SxvV0qYk
Updated: Thursday, 21 Jul 2011, 12:12 PM EDT
By NewsCore
SANTIAGO, Chile - A snowfall so fierce the Interior Minister described it as a "white earthquake" Thursday enveloped communities and blocked roads in Chile's central Araucania region, isolating thousands.
The Santiago Times newspaper reported President Sebastián Piñera declared much of Araucania a disaster area following four days of non-stop snow, piling as high as nine feet (2.7m) in some areas, amid polar temperatures.
"In four days we have had four months worth of snowfall," said Regional Governor Miguel Mellado in a television interview. "We've got a very difficult situation here."
With 70 percent of the population living in rural areas, Mellado estimated that 6,500 people were isolated as a result of the storm, the Times reported.
Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter Wednesday called the situation a "white earthquake," CNN reported.
"This storm is strong," he said, "and it is likely that in the coming days we could suffer from more bad weather fronts, more heavy snowfall, that make the situation even worse."
The Times said Pinera described the Arctic temperatures as the worst the region had seen in 30 years.
Among the most hard-hit places was Lonquimay, a town of just over 10,000, where temperatures reportedly plunged to -9.4 Fahrenheit (-23 degrees Celsius), freezing pipes and leaving much of the city without water, the paper said
Read more: www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/offbeat/white-earthquake-leaves-part-of-chile-under-as-much-as-nine-feet-of-snow-ncxdc-072111#ixzz1SxvV0qYk
