A series of intense frontal systems battering Chile has inflicted an estimated US$400 million in damages, according to reports from La República.
The weather events, which have persisted since last week, have resulted in 10 fatalities and left more than 100,000 people isolated across the country.
Despite the destruction, the heavy rainfall has provided a critical boost to the nation’s water infrastructure.
Reservoirs have been replenished to levels sufficient to cover four years of demand, offering a significant reprieve from the prolonged drought conditions that have strained the country’s agricultural and energy sectors.
The storm activity underscores the volatile climate risks facing Chile, a major global mining hub.
Previous severe weather events have already caused substantial disruption; earlier this year, storms inflicted over €500 million in agricultural losses, while winter storms in the north have threatened copper operations in the country that supplies nearly a quarter of the world’s output.