Source:
MercopressThursday, July 21st 2011 - 10:04 UTC
Parts of Chilean Patagonia covered by nine feet of snow; 6.500 feared isolated
President Sebastián Piñera declared much of La Araucania in Chilean Patagonia, disaster areas on Wednesday, as four days of non-stop snowfall have isolated the region’s predominantly rural communities and wreaked havoc on basic utilities.
“The government has resolved to help those affected, especially those living in Lonquimay,” Piñera said on Wednesday. “We declare the zone a disaster area in order to give us greater tools to help our fellow Chileans.”
Lonquimay, the borough with the second most extensive area in Chile, was affected by a polar front that submerged the town of just over 10,000 into chaos.
Intermittent since Sunday, the snowfall has piled as high as nine feet in some areas. Although this part of the country is no stranger to the cold weather, Piñera described the current polar front as the worst the region has seen in 30 years.
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http://en.mercopress.com/2011/07/21/parts-of-chilean-patagonia-covered-by-nine-feet-of-snow-6.500-feared-isolated
http://i2.cdn.turner.com.nyud.net:8090/cnn/2011/images/07/21/t1larg.chile.snow.afp.gi.jpg
A man walks along a snow-covered road in Lonquimay, Chile, about 370 miles (600 kilometers) south of Santiago.Snow disaster: Chilean officials have declared a "catastrophe" in eight municipalities after heavy snow blanketed communities and blocked roads in what the nation's interior minister called a "white earthquake." And more snow is expected.
"It has snowed more than ever," Curacautin Mayor Jorge Saquel told CNN Chile. "This is an anomaly. ... This worries us because the meteorologists assure us that new snowstorms are coming."
In the city of Lonquimay, officials said snow had piled more than 2.3 meters (7.5 feet) high.
Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter on Wednesday called the situation a "white earthquake" and asked the country's military and public works officials to help citizens in some of the hardest-hit areas in the country's central Araucania region.
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/21/on-the-radar-snow-in-chile-15-missing-boaters-nfl-labor-talks/