White Earthquake

Map of Chile showing communes in state of catastrophe during the White Earthquake in red. Communes in pink were declared zones of "agrarian emergency". Communes in both state of catastrophe and agrarian emergency are shown in dark red

The White Earthquake (Spanish: Terremoto Blanco) was a climatic event consisting of intense winds, cold, snowfall and rain that occurred through southern Chile in August 1995.[1][2] 7,176 people were left isolated as result of the heavy snowfall and three died.[3] By 16 August, an estimated 176,000 sheep were dead, and 800,000 were in "critical condition".[4] Besides agriculture, the forestry sector was also paralysed.[2][5] Along Chile Route 9, a number of cars and two buses with passengers were trapped in snow.[2][1]

Various port facilities along the Chilean coast were destroyed or damaged in the event,[1] including a pier in Bahía Catalina.[2] A number of ships and boats were stranded, damaged or lost.[1] The Chilean Navy lost one patrol boat and ten artisan fishing boats were lost, as well as a number of yachts.[1] The reefer ship Nayadic suffered damage that resulted in an oil spill.[1] The ferry connection to Tierra del Fuego Island through Primera Angostura was closed down.[1] Salmon farms were damaged and thousands of fish escaped.[1][5]

On 7 August, the Chilean government declared a state of emergency in the southern half of the country, from Maule Region to Magallanes.[1] The government of Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle sent vice-minister Belisario Velasco to Punta Arenas to monitor the situation in the far south.[2] Chilean Navy ships Aquiles, Chacabuco and Elicura transported fodder and firewood to various localities, in some cases despite severe weather conditions.[1] After the cold spell ended, there were floods as a consequence of the thaw.[5]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "La Armada de Chile a 25 años del "Terremoto Blanco"". armada.cl (in Spanish). Chilean Navy. 14 August 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e A 24 años del terremoto blanco, que dejó una mortandad de 176 mil ovinos. Prensa Austral, 11 de agosto de 2019. Consultado el 23 de junio de 2020.
  3. ^ Díaz Labbé, Fernando (20 December 2011), Nevazones Zona Sur–Regiones Biobío y Araucanía: 2011 (PDF) (in Spanish), Oficina Nacional de Emergencia del Ministerio del Interior, retrieved 29 April 2014
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference elpingu was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference EndSant1997 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).