White Earthquake

The White Earthquake (Spanish: Terremoto Blanco) was the name given to the cold wave and heavy snowfall that occurred through southern Chile in August 1995.

Map of Chile showing communes in state of catastrophe during the White Earthquake in red. Communes in pink were declared zones of "agrarian emergency". Communes in both state of catastrophe and agrarian emergency are shown in dark red

7,176 people were left isolated as result of the heavy snowfall and 3 persons died because of it.[1]

Communes affected by the White Earthquake
Region"Agrarian emergency""Zone of catastrophe"
MauleColbún—
Biobío
Araucanía
Los Lagos
—
Aisén
—
Magallanes
—

On August 2, 1995, a cold front entered southern Chile. While at the beginning the cold front seemed normal, it was soon joined by a second cold front that caused temperatures to drop drastically, below −14 °C (7 °F) in some areas, and generated large snowfalls. The snow made road transit difficult and isolated hundreds of communities in the Andes and the Patagonian plains.

The fodder stored for animals began to run out, and sheep and cows were trapped in metres of snow. The government of Eduardo Frei declared a state of emergency in 24 communes initially but extended it later to encompass more than 30 communes.

Between 10,000 and 12,000 families suffered the severe effects of the White Earthquake which also buried several houses in snow. Livestock farmers suffered the worst economic effects, since they lost most of their livestock due to starving and freezing. It has been estimated that in Magallanes Region two of every ten sheep died, while in parts of Tierra del Fuego up to eight out of ten sheep died.

The emerging aquaculture industry of southern Chile also suffered huge losses with the loss of 20,000 trout and 50,000 salmon. Wildlife such as the South Andean deer also registered high death rates.

Only by the end of August could the government clear the principal roads of snow and provide effective help to the affected zones, specially in the form of fodder.

See also

References
  1. Díaz Labbé, Fernando (December 20, 2011), Nevazones Zona Sur–Regiones Biobío y Araucanía: 2011 (PDF) (in Spanish), Oficina Nacional de Emergencia del Ministerio del Interior, retrieved April 29, 2014

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.