Chile's La Serena-Coquimbo faces water shortage and power outages after storms

Aguas del Valle reported that water consumption in the La Serena‑Coquimbo conurbation has nearly doubled in areas where service was restored, slowing the refilling of tanks and pressure recovery. The company urged residents to limit use to essential needs such as drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene.

Telecommunications provider Entel extended its emergency programme, suspending service cuts for customers with unpaid bills and reinstating mobile and fixed‑line services for debtors for an additional seven days. The measures cover communes in the Atacama, Coquimbo, Valparaíso, Metropolitana and Maule regions, aiming to keep communications available during the ongoing emergency.

The Superintendencia de Electricidad y Combustibles reported that about 4,000 electricity customers across nine regions remain without power after the recent frontal system, with the highest number of outages in the Coquimbo region (1,286 customers). Additional outages were recorded in the Metropolitana, La Araucanía, Atacama, Valparaíso, Biobío, O'Higgins, Maule and Ñuble regions, as well as in the southern zones of Los Ríos, Los Lagos, Aysén and Magallanes.

Meteorological models forecast continued heavy rain in central Chile later this week, with expected accumulations of up to 48 mm in Rancagua and 40 mm in Curicó, raising the risk of surface runoff and further flooding.

Commentators have called for a decentralised approach to disaster response, suggesting the deployment of local renewable energy and desalination systems to ensure water, electricity and internet services remain functional even if central infrastructure fails.