Tiny Drizzle Wreaks Havoc In Desert City

SANTIAGO, Chile — In one of the driest regions on earth, even a drizzle can cause an emergency.

Less than 100th of an inch (about 0.2 millimeters) of rain fell on the Chilean port city of Iquique Monday afternoon, accompanied by moderate winds of about 10 mph (17 kph), according to the country's weather service. That was enough to knock out power to several neighborhoods and to damage the roofs of 4,000 precarious dwellings, Gov. Miguel Silva said Tuesday.

Schools were closed Tuesday so that officials can repair the damage. There were no reports anyone was injured.

The city of 170,000 people in northern Chile is in the heart of the barren Atacama Desert, squeezed between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean. It averages about 0.02 inch (0.6 millimeter) of rain a year, according to University of Chile meteorologists.

"Roofs in this region are to protect people from the sun, not from rain," Silva said.

With little water to worry about, many of Iquique's poor live in homes covered with a bits of wood, plaster or even cardboard that are easily damaged by a little rain and wind. Many have no slope to let water run off.

Comments

[Swatantra]

Don't use Kleenex for shingles.

[chabnormal]

They should get used to the rain. It's called Climate Change for a reason.

[cosmicbullfight]

Glad to see the Chileans, just like everyone else, squandered any opportunity to take the windfalls of the 'good times' and put it toward developing infrastructure and housing.

[gatogato]

Chile rocks! Just like the USA in it's diverse terrain. Have not been to the Atacama yet, but the lake district and Patagonia and the Southern Cone are beyond beautiful and the people are very friendly. They are not a bunch of Podunks. They are certainly poor areas, just like the US. A half inch of snow halts some areas of The US.

[AgentMuu]

There's a Meterology department at the University of Chile?

[billpa]

There isn't?

[ParticipateInTheDebate]

You should visit. Even tough it is a underdeveloped country it has some universities. The University of Chile takes very seriously the study of weather, climate and of geophysics as weel.

[Pucky]

....as Sam Kinnson would say, "and a hundred years from now, it's still going to be an &^%^$@$$ desert!!!"

[bartonfink]

"see this? this is saaaaannnd. you know what it's gonna be in a hundred years from now?..."

[gatogato]

And Sam Kinnson? He is &$%!!$$ dust now.

[BannedNBoston]

Funny weather in Arizona

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AaCk3gKGmk

[charon]

A little rain is better than a great earthquake, which the region is known for. The quakes have also caused huge tidal waves on the coast, like the one on the coast a little ways north in Peru that happened in 1868 and that TR's Secretary of the Navy Mahon wrote about in his memoirs.

[H215]

OK, I don't understand living in a desert.... : - )

How do you not shrivel up and die? Everything is...what' the word.. thirsty for life!!

Count me as a happy camper (er...happy cottager) in a green, verdant, life-filled RAIN!

[HDR]

You're wrong. Iquique is a major port town. There are pockets of greenery around. Water, if not plentiful, is available through natural wells. Besides, there are stunning vistas with endless desert to the east and the world's largest ocean to the west. Also, the entire region is a virtual planetarium with stargazing available from horizon to horizon. Also natural resources abound which also provides industry. Unlike southern Arizona, populations are sustainable and they do not suck off water and other resouces from larger metropolitan areas.

I'd suggest you know about the country and life there before opining, but that's obvoius in your response.

[Skellen]

I'd suggest you chill before taking offense to someone opining about living in a desert region versus that of a temperate climate.

[mairs]

Thanks for the info. It's nice to know what it's really like there instead of just idly putting the town down.

[prog]

Just curious -- do they have any photovoltaic/solar energy collection resources? Sounds like a great spot for it.

[Beth Boyle]

It's been raining here like crazy all summer!

[aznurse]

well, here in the phoenix area , everytime it rains, no matter how little, I can guarantee there will be a close up of a puddle on the news.

[GoDogGo]

Sounds like Los Angeles! We get sprinkles here and there's a dozen different car crashes on my commute, all the newscasters bust into crisis mode with "live team coverage" and general panic ensues.

[MHainds]

My wife is from the same side of the Andes (west), but further North in Peru. Growing up, she saw it rain twice in 28 years!
They do, however, get several inches of annual precipitation in the form of a heavy dew for days on end. As I read in a previous comment, they just don't bother with water-proof roofs in much of the area west of the Andes.

[RyKi]

That's amazing, that it took your wife 28 years to grow up that is.

[bdaved]

I think it took me longer than that, if I ever got it done.

[Paddy Reeks]

Just a silly season story. And what lazy copy and paste nonsense from somewhere or other. If there really were power cuts and damage to 4000 roofs why not some analysis of why that happened? Now that might be interesting!

[mluo2010]

[quote]"Roofs in this region are to protect people from the sun, not from rain," Silva said.

With little water to worry about, many of Iquique's poor live in homes covered with a bits of wood, plaster or even cardboard that are easily damaged by a little rain and wind. Many have no slope to let water run off.[endquote]

Umm...did you even read the article? It explained why the rain caused so much havoc.

[Pablo Manriquez - Huffpost Blogger]

Unreal. My aunt lives in that desert.

[You]

and...?