Heavy snowfall impacts communities in western Bolivia
by Macarena Hermosilla · UPIAug. 20 (UPI) -- An unusual spell of freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall in western Bolivia has affected more than 26,000 families across five regions, creating a weather emergency in more than 320 Andean communities.
Deputy Civil Defense Minister Juan Carlos Calvimontes said Wednesday that the departments of Potosí, Oruro and Cochabamba have sustained the greatest impact, the newspaper El Deber reported.
The storm dumped up to 20 inches of snow during the dry season, blocking national highways, closing airports and threatening large numbers of llamas and alpacas as snow covered grazing areas.
The weather represents an extreme anomaly for Bolivia's Altiplano, a high-altitude plateau where June through August typically marks a dry winter with little precipitation.
The unexpected arrival of a polar cold front combined with high atmospheric humidity produced continuous snowfall not seen at these elevations in decades, disrupting local farming and livestock cycles and prompting several municipalities to declare emergencies.
The storm also disrupted freight transportation, leaving dozens of truck drivers stranded in key areas including Confital and La Cumbre, where roads were covered with ice.
In the department of Potosí, Uyuni Mayor Misael López said the municipality is experiencing one of its heaviest snowfalls in the past decade. The storm affected 56 communities, made roads difficult to travel and caused significant losses to the livestock sector.
About 80,000 llamas, alpacas, sheep and cattle have been affected, according to Uyuni's Risk Management Unit, El Potosí reported.
The Bolivian Highway Administration reported road closures that forced authorities to shut routes toward La Paz. Officials also reported a complete suspension of operations at Uyuni's La Joya Andina Airport because of poor visibility.
Calvimontes said heavy snowfall along tourist routes near the Uyuni Salt Flats and Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve prompted security forces to carry out several emergency operations, rescuing about 100 foreign visitors stranded in the high-altitude region.
Those rescued included about 60 Italian tourists who were trapped aboard buses. Broadcaster Cadena 3 reported that three U.S. citizens were stranded for more than 30 hours at Laguna Colorada after their vehicle experienced mechanical problems, and two French citizens were rescued near the community of Quetena.
Authorities confirmed that an elderly woman died in Oruro after a tree collapsed and warned that thousands of llamas and alpacas face a critical shortage of food.
San Pablo de Lípez Mayor Filemón Flores said more than 19,000 camelids are at serious risk because native grazing areas are buried under snow, local newspaper Los Tiempos reported.
In response, the national government is coordinating with the armed forces to deliver animal feed, veterinary supplies, tools and food to isolated families.