Buenos Aires Swelters Amid Heat Wave, Power Outages
A blistering heat wave, power outages and a fuel shortage added up Tuesday to a second day of hellish conditions in Greater Buenos Aires, home to about a quarter of Argentina’s 40 million people.
Amid a plethora of recommendations by the authorities on how to deal with the soaring temperatures, which on Tuesday were expected to reach 36 C (97 F), people took refuge in any shade they could find to get out of the blazing heat of the Argentine summer.
The National Meteorological Service renewed this Tuesday a high alert for the Argentine capital and its surrounding areas due to the high temperatures, which created scenes the total opposite of those seen these days in snowbound Europe and the United States.
“The city of Buenos Aires (with its 2.8 million inhabitants) has a summer average of 90 deaths per day but, for example, during the heat wave at the beginning of 2001 it went up to 250 deaths in a single day,” the weather service warned on its Web site.
“Given that high temperatures will continue throughout the week, we ask the population to avoid as much as possible exposing themselves to sun rays and to drink a lot of water,” Argentine Health Minister Juan Manzur said, urging people to seek medical attention if they develop such symptoms as high fever, drowsiness, fainting or a racing pulse.
Added to the suffocating heat, the climatic phenomenon La Niña has spread drought across vast areas of the Buenos Aires and La Pampa provinces, the richest agricultural region of a country that is one of the world’s top grain exporters.
Sources in the farming sector believe that the lack of rain could continue until March, with the consequent loss of soybean and corn crops.
The heat wave also set a “historic record” in consumption of electricity, according to the public utilities involved, to the point that in numerous Buenos Aires neighborhoods and urban districts there were power outages in the last few days that sparked bitter protests.
The Association for the Defense of User and Consumer Rights warned that 40 percent of the customers of Edenor, Edesur and Edelap, the distributors of electric energy in Greater Buenos Aires, suffered blackouts or diminished power.
But the utilities said there were only a few isolated cases of power outages in an area of some 600 square kilometers (230 square miles).
Dozens of traffic lights in the capital were not working, so the city government asked drivers and pedestrians to use “extreme caution” in proceeding through the streets, which in many cases were blocked by the now-customary marches protesting any number of offenses and inconveniences.
The sun blazed like molten metal on downtown Buenos Aires, where the starting point was being prepared for the Dakar rally scheduled for Saturday, while pickets of the poor and unemployed blocked one of the expressways into the city.
Automobile traffic also appeared threatened by the fuel shortage, reflected in long lines of cars at the gasoline pumps.
“There’s no gas anywhere. If I don’t fill up now I can’t work today,” a taxi driver lamented on a local radio station, saying that he was out “hunting” for gasoline.
The fuel shortage is due to the increased demand of consumers traveling to other parts of the country to spend the year-end holidays and summer vacations, as well as the ordinary delays in distribution due to the Christmas festivities. EFE
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19 comments Feed
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the now-customary marches protesting any number of offenses and inconveniences.
Ahhh the glory of Socialism!
Have a nice day RG's.
:-)))))
Here in good Neuquen electric power and drinking water.
Greetings
Wow. Let the good times roll eh?
So for a while we will be quite around here, holidays, etc.
Meanwhile you can spend your time thinking about what horrible thinks you can post about Argentina.
See you later after the 30th of current month kind regards and enjoy the videos.
Dakar 2011 Official trailers Promo
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRp-85As3PA
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_R0xRcB48I
Español largada
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfjTmwZ_fOw
Español Resumen etapa 1
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQYD_q5nz88
English
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEN0HllUzlk
Deutsch
www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1SXYRS2Wh0
Francais Résumé Etape 1
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYsaNhltdRk
baaa .. not to mourn over spilled milk.
Islander existed for the English by Galtieri in 1982.
Before the islands almost returned twice with Peron and Frondizi.
the English is not interested in their self-determination, if the oil and Antarctica. With love they are still a “Giles. ”
Malvinas are negotiable for the Kingdom.
Never a pearl in the crown
Awwww, someone pass me the violin. When are you going to start taking responsibility for your own actions? How, prey, have the English 'damaged' the Argentine people? Bad politicians? ever heard the saying 'you get the government you deserve' Ant? and as for 'the devil'...well...what can one say? you make a hash of something and it's not your fault, it was 'the devil'......feeble Ant, just feeble.
Guess the heat and thirst must be getting to you.
Is obsessed with us.
I do not understand your irony, it must be for my bad English.
we have the rulers we deserve if Argentina among the 20 best countries to live (International Living)
it's hot in Argentina, but good beaches and rivers.
I have no thirst, we have plenty of water and very good wines.
The water you drink should be contaminated and expensive.
why the USA' s view is terrible and broke ?
the yearly median incomes :
Whites : 55.312 US $
Blacks : 34.213 US $
Hispanics : 37.913 US $
Asian : 65.637 US $.
Gross national income Argentina # 43 u$ 6576 ( I will round up)
# 5 United States: $33,070
So by your stats you can move to the USA and make 6X more than what you are making in the most foul Argentina.
Wow RICH! RICH AS AN ARGENTINE! I wonder why no one says that any longer.
Bahahahahaa
here ,we do not compare two countries ... and don't forget
the supplemantary living costs differences between countries .
BTW you can't live well on 6K anywhere in the world no matter how disgusting it is.
I would guess it costs about 1/2 as much to live in BA as it does in DC, so 1/2 of 33k is 16K still a LOT more than 7K loser.
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