Twenty-four hours of heavy rainfall and flooding has forced the evacuation of more than 2,200 people across Buenos Aires Province, authorities said on May 17.
An additional 1,500 residents have left their homes voluntarily.
Authorities warned that severe rainfall would continue throughout the rest of the day and into the early hours of the morning of May 18.
National and provincial government officials have launched search-and-rescue missions in flooded areas, with emergency shelter sought for those who have fled their homes.
The storm, which began on May 16, is mainly affecting the northern part of the province, as well as Buenos Aires City and its surrounding metropolitan area, home to some 15 million people.
The latest bulletin from the Buenos Aires Province government, issued early on the morning of May 17, reported evacuations in at least 11 areas.
Some of the hardest-hit areas are Campana and Zárate, located 80 to 90 kilometres north of the capital, where rainfall has been slamming terrain almost non-stop since Friday morning.
Hundreds have been forced to leave their homes and seek shelter.
“It’s been raining heavily since 11am on May 17,” Zárate Mayor Marcelo Matzkin told the TN news channel. He said rainfall had exceeded 400 millimetres – well above the seasonal average for the region.
In Zárate, around 200 people were taken to sports clubs and community centres as emergency shelters were established. Mayor Matzkin said he expected many more to be relocated throughout May 17.
Campana, San Antonio de Areco and parts of Exaltación de la Cruz faced widespread flooding and storm damage. Images circulating online showed streets turned into rivers and cars almost completely submerged.
SOURCE: www.batimes.com.ar