Deadly Chilean storm Severs Key Highway, flooding in dry areas

(Bloomberg) — Prolonged winter rains in normally arid regions of northern and central Chile flooded rivers and triggered mudslides that blocked parts of the country’s copper-exporting highway and killed at least 10 people.

Tens of thousands of people remain cut off in isolated villages in the mountainous regions of Coquimbo and Atacama as the rain finally begins to ease in some places. The storm has disrupted electricity and water supplies, as well as telecommunications, and damages are likely to run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Government emergency alerts are still buzzing on cellphones warning residents to evacuate as mudslides and sinkholes grow larger. Runoff and rough seas blanketed stretches of the north-central Pacific coast with debris.

The extreme weather has caused local disruption to mining operations, although major copper regions in the far north lie outside the path of the storm and major mines have so far avoided significant operational impacts.

President José Antonio Kast declared a state of disaster in the Coquimbo region and Huasco province of Atacama on Monday, granting emergency powers in response to widespread flooding and damage.

“Severe storms and floods are not unprecedented in the history of Chile,” said Miguel Fernández, a meteorologist at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. “What makes this event unusual is that it comes after almost 16 years of severe drought.”

The storm coincides with the onset of El Niño, a recurring warming trend in the Pacific Ocean that causes floods and droughts in various parts of the world.

Parts of the Coquimbo region received more rainfall than usual for the year. The region north of the capital Santiago is one of Chile’s main agricultural centers, growing grapes, avocados and citrus.

“This opens a new window of risk for the country, a major fruit exporter, if a similar sequence of storm systems reappears at the end of July or August,” said Patricio González Colville, professor and researcher at the Center for Research and Technology Transfer in Irrigation and Agroclimatology at the Universidad de Talca.

The National Agricultural Society, Chile’s main agricultural chamber, said it was monitoring potential disruptions to citrus and avocado harvests and damage to infrastructure and irrigation systems, particularly for small farmers in Coquimbo.

Route 5, the Chilean section of the Pan-American Highway, which has been blocked in several places by flowing water and debris, is a key economic artery for mining industry personnel and supplies.

Mining companies in the affected areas activated emergency protocols, restricted access to the site and increased monitoring of critical infrastructure, while assisting surrounding communities.

Antofagasta Plc deployed heavy equipment to clear roads near its flagship Los Pelambres mine and housed workers on site with food, heating and medical support. The Chilean unit of Barrick Gold Corp. provided machines and a helicopter to authorities in Alto del Carmen to help restore road access and support rescue efforts and logistics.

The storm caused some operations to be curtailed as a precaution. State-owned Codelco restarted its Andina mine after a temporary suspension, but said on Tuesday that the division was experiencing power outages. Anglo American Plc said the Los Bronces mine continued to operate with some restrictions and Barrick closed access roads to its high-altitude camps under storm protocols.

Chile’s main copper-exporting terminals also experienced some disruption, with rough seas forcing closures at Huasco and Coquimbo, according to the country’s maritime authority.

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