Argentina: Severe Local Storm - Dec 2023

On 16 December in the city of Bahía Blanca, south of the Province of Buenos Aires, gusts of over 140 kms per hour not only affected access to services such as electricity and water, but also had an impact on urban infrastructure and homes. As a result, the Club Bahiense del Norte building collapsed and 13 people lost their lives, including a 4-year-old girl, and more than 20 were injured. The damage to the infrastructure of homes has been considerable, mainly in neighborhoods far from the central area of the city, with roofs blown off, falling masonry and walls, among others. Hundreds of electric power poles and old trees have fallen as a result of the intense winds, making it difficult to restore electric power and therefore delaying access to water in many communities, as well as delaying early recovery tasks, generating difficulties in accessing the most exposed communities. On 18 December the Governor of the Province of Buenos Aires decreed a State of Emergency for 30 days for the entire territory of the Province, which was made official in the Official Gazette.(IFRC, 30 Dec 2023)