A sodden Buenos Aires: storms, floods and misery

I have just given my cleaner packets of biscuits as part of a collection for victims who have been badly affected by the floods in Buenos Aires province. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of anything else we owned that could be of use under such tragic circumstances.

I’ve only just realised the enormity of this disaster, having read heart-breaking newspaper reports and seen pictures of people being forced to evacuate their homes.

A week under water, courtesy of Clarin

The front page story in Wednesday’s Clarin, a national Argentine newspaper, reported that six municipalities in the province were under water and that more than 20,000 people had been affected. Yesterday, there were pictures of the river overflowing in Quilmes, the area where we live.

Carrying on the fight 

Sadly, many of the shanty towns, known as villas, are also in Quilmes. A resident from the villa whose job it is to “help” people park their cars for a small fee told me that his area had been flooded, but that they would carry on fighting.

We have gotten off extremely lightly in the face of such desperate situations. Our small front lawn, where the grass has worn away, has turned into a mini pond but thankfully our swimming pool has not overflowed.

I know I should be used to it, coming from England, particularly having just come back from a wet and cold summer. Still, I don’t think I’ve ever seen lightening during mid-morning or heard thunder so deafening loud that our house almost shook with fear.

The storms seem to have been caused by the Sudestada (Southeast blow), a climatic phenomenon that commonly affects the River Plate and the surrounding area. A sudden rotation of cold southern winds create cooler temperatures, heavy rainfall and choppy seas – usually between July and October.

That said, the people I have spoken to have been surprised by how long it has rained. A couple of days, yes, but constant rain for a week on end like this is considered unusual.

An absent government response 

Yet, perhaps what is less surprising is the government’s handling of the situation. Scioli, governor of the Buenos Aires province and also the front-runner of the upcoming presidential elections, helpfully went to Italy during the floods. 

Despite Buenos Aires being an area prone to flooding, in 2014 spending on preventing flooding had fallen to its lowest level since the creation of the funds in 2010.

The rain may have finally stopped, but the politics of the flooding has just started.