FLOODS IN SANTA FE THE LARGEST
ENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHE IN THE HISTORY OF
ARGENTINA
The number of fatal victims for the
worst environmental tragedy continues to
grow. “It was not a natural catastrophe”,
stated Friends of the Earth Argentina
(Proteger) regarding floods in Santa Fe that
resulted in more than 200,000 people
affected. The organization reported that
neither preventive measures nor an emergency
plan were taken, and blamed the authorities.
Friends of the Earth Argentina asks for
urgent international help with the support of
all Friends of the Earth groups. (and
instructions for help/support below)
SANTA FE, ARGENTINA, 3 May 2003.– The
floodings registered in the city of Santa Fe
represent “the worst environmental disaster
of the Argentinian history. Also the worst
avoidable tragedy of our history”, says Jorge
Cappato, United Nations Global 500 Laureate
and general coordinator of Friends of the
Earth – Argentina.
Based in Santa Fe, the organisation (a
member of Friends of the Earth International)
is giving assistance to the evacuees since
the beginnig of the disaster, last tuesday
29th April. “ Although help is coming for the
evacuation centers where more than 40,000
affected people are provided shelter, there
are more than 150,000 self-evacuees suffering
all kind of hardships. They are staying at
medium class homes but they don’t have
clothes or food”.
Taking into account nearby villages the
environmental refugees total more than
200,000; it is said that there are 22 death
people, but certainly there are many more,
from 50 to 100, warned Friends of the Earth
Argentina.
“If the Santa Fe Mayor Marcelo Alvarez
didn’t have the information of what was going
to happen then he is a complete irresponsible
totally incompetent, and if the information
was available and people were not warned then
the irresponsibility was bordering on the
criminal”, added Jorge Cappato.
“Now we know that experts from INA
(Instituto Nacional del Agua) had the
information, since last January, of an
unusual warming in the Atlantic Ocean,
between 15º and 30º South Latitude, which
increased precipitations on the medium
stretch of the Salado River”, explained
Cappato. “Even some journalists raised alarm
over a huge hydric mass early enough”.
Cappato added : “Everybody knows in Santa
Fe that more than 200,000 people are living
in areas of an enormous hydric risk, but
there was no emergency plan, and that’s the
reason why the chaos was so great. What is
absolutely unforgivable is that people were
not notified in order to save their
belongings and even their lives. The affected
people are the poorest settlers of the city.
The ones that voted for National elections on
schools last Sunday and few hours later were
buried by water”.
“We are concerned about the ´day after´.
When it ceases to be news for the important
National media, there will be thousands of
people suffering all the imaginable needs.
Many affected had lost their houses, and
almost all their belongings, their livelihood
and jobs”, warned Cappato.
“It is not a natural disaster. In order to
be a tragedy an extraordinary rainfall is not
enough. It is necessary exhausted soils
because of monocultures like soya, unwise
deforestation throughout the whole basin,
misconstructed roads, lack of scientific
information regarding adaptation to Climate
Change and, above all, ineffective governing
with an inconceivable disregard for those who
need more, who, paradoxically, have been
voting them for the last twenty years.”
Further information:
Proteger – Friends of the Earth,
Argentina
Address: Balcarce 1450 - 3000 Santa Fe -
Argentina
Phone-Fax: +54-342-4558520 (Leticia, speaks
English)
Jorge Cappato: +54-93425-016363
Julieta Peteán (Press): +54-93425-465774
Internet: www.amigosdelatierra.org.ar -
www.proteger.org.ar
*** Deposit account (dollars)
Please only effect your payment via SWIFT
MT100
Correspondent Bank: Banco de la Nación
Argentina
(field 56) New York,
SWIFT Code: NACNUS33
CHIPS Participant Nbr. 0855
Fedwire Nbr. 026008552
Beneficiary's Bank: Nuevo Banco Suquía
SA
(field 57 A) Chips UID 408635
SWIFT Code: NBSQARBA
Account Nbr: 000912001000
Beneficiary: Fundacion PROTEGER
(field 59) Account Nbr. 010-16-21420-6
CBU: 3870010/9-0080160214206/4
Banco Suquia, Sucursal 10 -25 de Mayo, Santa
Fe, Argentina
CUIT 30-66067979-7
Deposit account (Euros)
Please only effect your payment via SWIFT
MT100
Correspondent Bank: Unicrédito Italiano
SPA
(field 56) Milano, Italy
SWIFT CODE: UNCRITMM
Beneficiary's Bank: Nuevo Banco Suquía
SA
(field 57 A) SWIFT CODE: NBSQARBA
Account Nbr. 1043
Beneficiary: Fundacion PROTEGER
(field 59) Account N° 010-16-21420-6
CBU: 3870010/9-0080160214206/4
Banco Suquia, Sucursal 10 -25 de Mayo, Santa
Fe, Argentina
CUIT 30-66067979-7
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