The intense rains and strong winds that have battered central-southern Chile have affected more than 11,000 homes and left around 1,500 people isolated in different regions of the country, according to records from the National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response (Senapred).
The communes of Arauco and Hualqui in the Biobío Region have been particularly affected. In Arauco, according to municipal reports, it is estimated that more than 5,000 people have been displaced, and in Hualqui, the affected number is around 400. The teams from these municipalities have been working hard to provide assistance and support to the families affected by the floods, landslides, and sinkholes.
As it has done in other emergencies, the Luksic Foundation visited the affected communes in the Biobío Region to coordinate a concrete and efficient contribution to support the affected people. In this context, the Foundation delivered 50 emergency clothing kits to the Municipality of Arauco so that their teams can perform their duties safely. Similarly, 30 kits were delivered to the Municipality of Hualqui to support their efforts.
Each kit includes a parka and waterproof overalls with technical properties and high-visibility fabric with reflective bands; also, a pair of steel-toed boots with reinforced heels, toes, and ankles, non-slip and flexible soles.
“The families in the communes of Arauco and Hualqui have been particularly affected by the rains, and we have seen firsthand how the emergency teams are working hard to ensure the safety of men, women, and children and to support various needs. That is why we wanted to provide these kits, which will be available to the commune, so they can carry out their tasks more efficiently and continue to support the local residents,” commented Isabella Luksic, General Manager of the Luksic Foundation.
For her part, the Mayor of Arauco, Elizabeth Maricán, highlighted the support: “I would like to thank the Luksic Foundation for their donation, as it is a solidarity response to a difficult situation we are experiencing as a commune. These kits will undoubtedly be well used by our collaborators.”
Support for Isolated Families
On Friday, the Luksic Foundation, through a joint effort with Senapred, the Chilean Association of Municipalities, and the Municipality of Hualqui, delivered food and hygiene baskets to 33 families in the commune who are isolated due to the rains and floods.
“We want to thank the Luksic Foundation, the Army, and the work our officials are doing, which directly benefits the families isolated by the storm that has been affecting us for the past two weeks,” said Jorge Costanzo, Mayor of Hualqui, during the donation delivery.
The delivery was made possible thanks to the support of Senapred, which provided a military truck to transport the supplies to the families. Additionally, thanks to the coordination of the Foundation, the social workers of the Municipality of Hualqui were able to enter the isolated areas to complete the FIBE forms for some families.
