Floods in Argentina: One dead, three missing and nearly 2,000 evacuated

The almost continuous rains, nearly five times the local May norm, caused rivers and ditches to overflow , cutting off half a dozen roads and submerging fields in this featureless pampa (plain) area. They also flooded streets in the greater Buenos Aires suburbs.

According to Fabian Garcia, 1,945 people are still in evacuation centers and "a very large number of people have left their homes to stay with relatives." The number of evacuees has been reduced to less than half of what it was on Saturday evening.

"After last night's storm (Saturday), the water has receded in all areas and people are beginning to return home," a provincial government statement said.

Both the national and provincial governments launched emergency operations, sending rescue brigades, technical teams, rescue vehicles, and supplies for refugees, such as mattresses, blankets, dry clothes, water, and food, to the most affected areas.

"This event is absolutely extraordinary, it's the climate, it's changing; it's called climate change," Governor Axel Kicillof told Crónica TV.

Heavy rainfall

In Campana, several families had to spend part of the night on their roofs waiting for help to escape their flooded homes.

"We've lost everything we had, everything we've worked hard for all these years, and we have nowhere to go," laments Manuel Sanchez, who is about to be rescued with his children.

The volume of rainfall since Friday has exceeded that recorded in early March in Bahia Blanca (600 km south of Buenos Aires), where torrential rains and floods caused 18 deaths, said provincial Security Minister Javier Alonso.