living @ La Estancia

Mike & I plan to move into our new house on 1 September, 2011. We'll be living there until further notice.

LEC folks who currently plan to be in residence during the month of November include at least 6 families, altogether 15 people (Beth, Bevan, Carol, Collin, David, Gary, Jane, John, Kent, Linda, Margaret, Melissa, Mike, Sarah, & Tanya) at last count.

Any chance you'll be there, too?

our roofline

Puyehue's pumice & ash

[from The Atlantic, 17 June 2011]

Volcanic Ash and Pumice From Puyehue

Dead fish float among river stones in the Nilahue River

Though the eruption at Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano chain has diminished slightly since it began on June 4, it continues to wreak havoc both near and far. Ash and floating pumice stones are choking nearby lakes and rivers, threatening to damage dams or cause flooding. Resort areas in Argentina that would normally be preparing for ski season are digging themselves out from under a blanket of ash, trying to restore water and power services knocked out by the volcano. Evacuated ranchers are worrying about the livestock they left behind without grazing pasture. Puyehue's ash cloud has already circled the globe, high in the atmosphere, disrupting air traffic as far away as Australia and New Zealand.

A cow is covered by wet ash in Villa La Angostura

See 32 more photos here.

Penny from Cafayate

What is Cafayate like in late autumn/winter?

I drove through the Quebrada in late afternoon, and the trip was nothing less than spectacular. The light was warmer and, on two occasions, I had to stop the car and gasp as the mountains seemed lit from within. The washouts on the road from the heavy rains are yet to be fixed and, it appears that, in a couple of locations the diversions will become permanent.

Again, the wonderful autumn light compensated for the lack of greenery in Cafayate. Early mornings were very cool, and the sun did not rise over the east mountains until after 8 o'clock. The temperature reached the mid 20s C, but the sun was not searing as it can be in the summer. I was able to eat outside in the evening and was comfortable with a sweater. I loved it – just as I loved BA at this time of year.

Much renovation going on in town, and I noticed a soon to open rest/bar by the name of Mythos just down from Wine Museum. Sounds like souvlaki to me!

I leave you with 2 photos and promises of more to come after the weekend.

8 am, Hotel Killa, Cafayate

fitness club from Penny's place (N-19)

ashes, ashes

[from El Tribuno Salta, 17 June 2011]

Businesses ask for help with the ashes

Moravek, head of the Patagonian Industrial Union, said that the region is experiencing a tragedy from the Puyehue eruption.

Ashes from Puyehue cause business & tourism losses in Patagonia

El presidente de la Unión Industrial Patagónica, Juan Moravek, advirtió ayer que esa región vive una “verdadera tragedia” por las cenizas del volcán Puyehue y se quejó del “abandono” que sufren las provincias sureñas por lo que reclamó un “incentivo muy fuerte a la inversión”.

“Francamente, nosotros vivimos la erupción del volcán chileno como una verdadera tragedia. Y sentimos que la Patagonia sigue siendo una zona de abandono”, sostuvo.

Movarek -quien también es vocal del Comité Ejecutivo de la Unión Industrial Argentina (UIA)- alertó: “Estamos frente a un problema serio que debemos comenzar a resolverlo. Lo que hay que hacer es poner un incentivo muy fuerte a la inversión y lograr competitividad”.

El dirigente señaló que en el país “se ha construido una historia de concentración y de abandono de las regiones. En la Patagonia, por ejemplo, durante el último año han muerto más de un millón de ovejas y la opinión pública no ha tomado nota de eso. La gente está muy preocupada. Muchas fábricas están cerradas. Y estamos teniendo un incremento en los costos de toda índole”.

Movarek recordó que el presidente de la UIA, José de Mendiguren, “ha repetido muchas veces que si bien el país ha crecido de forma acelerada, no ha habido grandes inversiones industriales ni una dinamización de la industria argentina en base a su territorio. Por eso, hay que hacer participar de esta economía moderna al norte del país y a la Patagonia”, dijo.

Penny: from Houston

Por la nube de cenizas, se esperan nuevas cancelaciones de vuelos en Ezeiza y Aeroparque (Due to the ash cloud, new cancelations are expected at Ezeiza y Jorge Newbery)

[Thursday night]

Despite checking hourly for flight updates to BA (and told by Continental that flights to BA were leaving on schedule), I find myself stuck in Houston airport . . . a predicament that I went to great lengths to avoid. I was told, upon arrival in Houston, that I should have been told of the flight cancellations at check-in (duh) instead of being given a boarding pass for the BA flight, so my expenses and hotel have been taken care of, however, I am furious beyond words. There was no indication from Continental that the flight may not be going – otherwise I would have stayed in Vancouver!

Now there is no availability to BA for the foreseeable future and no way home to Vancouver again tonight. I cannot get a confirmed flight on any airline from North America to BA until Tuesday 14th so . . . it looks like I may be going back to Vancouver tomorrow. I have hung on here in Houston for a couple of days because I really need to get to Cafayate to see my house, and I really want to go furniture shopping. Furthermore, my schedule does not allow for another trip until mid-July. Not sure what my next move is . . .

[Friday morning]

Interior painting has started, and the wood floor will be laid shortly thereafter. After much testing and sampling, I will be choosing exterior paint and interior wood finish on this trip. I selected several interior colours on my last trip and have been eliminating them as test patches go up on the wall, and I see the effects of light, etc. (Beware of the green light cast by the vineyards and golf course, and take several photos, flash on/off, etc.)

Did I mention that I am dressed for BA in the winter, and it is a very humid 35C here, and that the rooms at the Airport Marriott are not nearly as nice as the lobby would suggest? I have so much to accomplish this trip . . . still hoping to get out tonight.

[later on Friday morning]

Wow! I literally just heard from the Continental Concierge that I have a confirmed seat on tonight's flight if EZE re-opens. I was quite surprised by this because I am travelling on points . . . Continental bumped someone with an upgrade back down so that I could get a seat!

According to the BA Herald, the "Crisis Committee" just met in BA and airports may reopen at 6pm. If I cannot get out tonight, Continental will fly me home to re-group.

[Friday afternoon]

Thanks to the "Crisis Committee" in BA, flight tonight is still a go.

[later on Friday afternoon]

Just sang "O Canada" in the Houston Airport sportsbar.

[even later]

Onboard flight CO53 to BA !!!!

wine storage

parilla cabinetry

ashes shut down BA flights

[from Mercosur, 7 June 2011]

Ash cloud reaches Buenos Aires city at 5.000 metres height; all flights cancelled

The Chilean volcano Puyehue ash cloud has reached the Argentine capital after moving across the Greater Buenos Aires, but the due effects of the cloud are seen to be minimal. Meanwhile local airlines confirmed cancelled all flights until further notice at the international airport of Ezeiza and at the domestic-flights metropolitan Aeroparque.

The cloud is said to be at 5,000 metres in height, and unless the winds change, it should not cause direct health problems. “At present, it’s moving across the Greater Buenos Aires area and the City, but its threat is minimal after it dispersing on its move from the south” said Jorge Etcherrán, executive director of Emergency Advice of the Buenos Aires province.

Aerolíneas Argentinas and Austral informed that “due to the Puyehue volcano’s activity and the change in direction of the ash cloud, flight departures on Tuesday June 7, have been suspended until further notice.”

The information released by officials states, “from 10.30AM flights going out of Jorge Newbery (AEP) and Ministro Pistarini (EZE) airports, are suspended for security reasons.”

The airline also informed that the suspension of flights between Jorge Newbery Met Airport and Bariloche, Chapelco and Esquel remains intact until Sunday 12 June.

Aerolíneas also informed that the cancellation of flights between Jorge Newbery Met Airport (Aeroparque) and Bariloche, Chapelco and Esquel remains intact until Sunday 12 June. Flights between Aeroparque and Trelew, Neuquén, Viedma, Río Gallegos, Calafate, Ushuaia, Río Grande, Comodoro Rivadavia, Bahía Blanca, Santa Rosa and San Rafael will be kept in place until Thursday June 7th.

In addition to this, the company informed that “night flights to Santiago de Chile and Mendoza are also cancelled until Thursday June 9.”

International airlines Delta, American, GOL, TAM and United Airlines suspended their services for Tuesday and Wednesday to Atlanta, Miami, Santiago de Chile, Río de Janeiro and San Francisco, respectively.

The ash cloud produced by the Puyehue volcano eruption on Saturday which has moved its way through the northern part of Patagonia is now covering the southern, central and northern parts of San Luis province, the Argentine National Meteorological Service (SMN) informed.

According to SMN, on its move across Northern Patagonia, the ash cloud took the form of an inverted v, and now reaches a height of 8,000 metres. It was also reported that if the wind speeds reduce, ash will begin to fall across the whole of the province of Buenos Aires.

Bariloche covered with smoke & ash from Chilean volcano eruption

[from La nación, 5 June 2011]

view of the Puyehue eruption at dawn

Cesó la caída de cenizas en Bariloche, pero se mantiene la emergencia

El fenómeno fue reemplazado por una lluvia tenue e intermitente; el aeropuerto y los pasos fronterizos permanecen cerrados; la nube afectó levemente, también, a la cordillera de Chubut; accedé a la fotogalería y al video

ash-covered streets in Bariloche

Read more here.

heat, dust, wind

[many thanks to Noni, La Estancia owner, for this email & photos]

I am from the southwest. I have lived in Phoenix and Tucson. Cafayate and Tucson are sister cities. Same in many ways. Hot dry and dusty. The wind blows ferociously in both places particularly in mid to late afternoon. I plan to install a misting system to add humidity & a fence to break the wind.

misting system on a hotel

Misting systems drop the temperature about 10+ degrees. A misting system uses little water and keeps dust down. The water evaporates before it hits you.

terrace & hedge fence with drip water system

I took some pictures in Cafayate of a fence that I am going to put completely around my home. It is probably 12-15 feet deep. It is a terrace with a hedge on top and a drip water system for vegetables and some flowers in each layer.

another view of the fence

global warming strikes El Valle de Lerma?

[from Antonio Gaspar @ El Tribuno, 17 April 2011]

PRONOSTICAN QUE EN LOS PRÓXIMOS 20 A 50 AÑOS, DURANTE EL VERANO AUMENTARÁ EL NIVEL DE PRECIPITACIONES

Cambio climático: El Valle de Lerma tiende a convertirse en una región tropical (will likely change into a tropical region>

El calentamiento global sumado a la acción del hombre hará que la zona se vuelva más húmeda y sin tanta amplitud térmica (the zone will turn wetter with a narrower thermal range). En un sentido inverso, los inviernos se volverán más secos y benignos (winters will turn drier & milder). Un llamado de atención para la planificación urbana.

El término antropogénico se refiere a los efectos, procesos o materiales que son el resultado de actividades humanas.

La isla de calor es acumulación de calor por la inmensa mole de hormigón, y demás materiales absorbentes de calor. (The island of heat is heat concentration due to the immense quantity of concrete, & other heat-absorbing materials.)

Explicar cómo el Valle de Lerma tiende a convertirse en una zona tropical no es tarea sencilla.

Desde una aproximación teórica y con mucha precaución el meteorólogo del INTA, Ignacio Nieva, dialogó extensamente con El Tribuno sobre cómo incidirán en el futuro el calentamiento global y los cambios climáticos, que son reales, y que se pronostican para el valle donde se recuesta la ciudad capital.

Asegura que si bien no cuenta con la cantidad necesaria de datos e información para hacer más rigurosos sus planteos, el especialista parte de hipótesis con grandes posibilidades de que se confirmen.

Primero toma en cuenta el calentamiento que se produce a una escala global con el aumento incesante de dióxido de carbono.

Este paulatino aumento de la temperatura afectará de manera diferenciada en cada región en el mundo; pero modificará gran parte del sistema de vientos que son, al fin y al cabo, los que inciden de manera directa en las condiciones climáticas de cada zona en particular.

En ese sentido afirma que los trópicos meteorológicos no coinciden con los geográficos. Los primeros son más dinámicos y fluctúan en su posición por lo que se espera que en los próximos 50 años tiendan a ensancharse aún más.

Para nuestra región debe decirse que el “trópico de Capricornio meteorológico” tenderá a moverse hacia el sur, con grandes posibilidades de que llegue en su extremo hasta el Valle de Lerma.

Antropogénico

A todos los condicionantes antes mencionados, y que de alguna manera resulta imposible modificar, hay que sumarle la acción del hombre que específicamente realiza en el Valle de Lerma.

En primer lugar destaca el enorme crecimiento de la ciudad de Salta en tan pocos años.

La superficie urbana de la capital provincial tuvo un desarrollo exponencial en los últimos 30 años. Esto derivó en que crezca de manera proporcional la cantidad de vehículos que funcionan con combustibles fósiles y que emiten una gran cantidad de dióxido de carbono.

Al aumentar el territorio de la ciudad también creció la cantidad de zona asfaltada y de construcciones con hormigón creando una gran isla de calor. Estos materiales atrapan el calor y no dejan que las altas temperaturas se disipen por las noches, contrariamente a lo que sucede en las zonas rurales.

Además, debemos tener en cuenta que Cerrillos, Vaqueros y San Lorenzo ya forman parte de un gran conglomerado urbano que no se detiene. A la proyección de cómo y cuánto crecerá la ciudad en un plazo de entre 20 a 50 años aún nadie la planteó.

Hipótesis y presunciones

En conclusiones climáticas de Nieva, si bien no aumentarán las temperaturas promedio lo que sí se elevarán serán las mínimas, por lo que la amplitud térmica será menor.

Esto, en el verano, podrá ocasionar un aumento en las precipitaciones; y volverá al invierno más seco de lo que es ahora.

En consecuencia, el meteorólogo del INTA considera que lo que se tendría que tomar en cuenta para su estudio es el comportamiento del agua en este nuevo panorama climático.

En este sentido, se tiene que tener en cuenta que los inviernos serán más secos por lo que previsión y la provisión de agua se volverá (hoy ya lo es) un tema central para la construcción de nuevas urbanizaciones.

Por lo tanto, se deberá pensar en el futuro (porque aún no está ni soñado por nuestra clase política), en controlar y estudiar las crecidas de los ríos, volver a buscar las cuencas hídricas, pensar en una mejor distribución de la urbanización y en realizar estudios serios y a largo plazo articulando la información oficial con la obtenida por los científicos de las universidades.

Por último, Nieva rescata las acciones de los estadounidenses respecto del estudio de los huracanes y afirma que si bien no los pueden detener lo estudian para que tengan el menor impacto en la población. Y dice que eso es lo que deberíamos hacer en Salta a nivel gubernamental y científico. Aunque por lo pronto, y como primer paso, es necesario establecer la tema como una problemática concreta, que es real y que ya está comenzando a suceder.

electric blue

Surprise, the weather has broken again, as illustrated by this photo of a typical electrical hookup in Cafayate:

What an improvement over yesterday's clouds & heavy rain.

rain

Today is the second day of a 2-day Argentine holiday, a brand new holiday on the seemingly endless slate of Argentine holidays, this one to celebrate Carnaval.

Yesterday we moved out of Ginny's La Estancia house into a rental house in town, a block off the plaza. The house is a series of rooms off a large courtyard. In the night through the wide open windows of our bedroom we heard the hammering of rain & behind it, music & revelry in the plaza.

People are complaining about the rain because it has gone on nearly every day for more than two months, because it is delaying the grape harvest, because it seemed as though it had stopped, because rain this time of year is not normal, because people complain about rain.

I love rain.

fruit, weather, & art

While you're here, buy & eat fruit from the local vendors. The peaches, plums, pears, grapes, & watermelon are all splendid.

Folks are asking me about the weather.

A week ago the weather was cloudy & occasionally rainy. Then it changed to sunny & warmer. In the last two days, the clouds came back. Last night it sprinkled, & we saw one lightning flash.

This morning the ground is wet, it's partly cloudy, & low clouds hover over the mountains. Mike stood outside Ginny's front door to shoot this picture of snow on the high peaks.

Temperatures are comfortable to warm. Light cotton clothing & occasionally a light sweater are all we've worn.

We stopped by to see local ceramicist Sasha Utama's work this week, but he was not home. I took these photos of his yard.

floods vs urban planning

[from Natalia Viana in guardian.co.uk, 2 February, 2011]

Floods in Brazil are a result of short-term planning

Urban planning has never been part of Brazil's political agenda, so when heavy rains come cities are not able to cope

Rescue workers searching for victims after heavy rains in January 2011 caused mudslides in Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil

Rescue workers searching for victims after heavy rains in January 2011 caused mudslides in Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Photograph: Vanderlei Almeida/AFP/Getty Images
As I write, more than two weeks after the floods began in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro state, many communities remain isolated due to landslides on the main access roads.

More than 800 people died and thousands of people have been displaced in the state, according to official figures. One of the worst affected towns is Santa Rita. Dozens of families still depend on helicopters to deliver food, water, and emergency healthcare. In the town of Teresópolis, people are starting to clear debris in the streets by hand, with shovels and brushes. And in Nova Friburgo, families watch, and cry, as their homes are demolished.

In the neighbouring state of São Paulo, the richest in the country, 25 people died because of the heavy rains. In Santa Catarina state, in the south, five people lost their lives and 17,000 had to flee their homes.

The January rains in Brazil are becoming more severe and floods are becoming a routine. But while specialists say it's too early to confirm the heavy rains are caused by climate change, the fact is that Brazilian cities have never been ready for them.

Urban planning has never been part of the political agenda.

Governments react, rather than plan and prevent. The ministry in charge of monitoring urban planning, the Ministry of Cities, was only created in 2003. The Supreme Court is still deciding if all cities will have to set out and follow an urban plan as defined in 1988 in new federal constitution.

But nothing has changed. Just after the floods, the government said it would set up a national system to prevent disasters – which won't be fully working for four years.

The Plano de Aceleração do Crescimento (PAC) – the national "plan of growth acceleration" – released two years ago as the major project for infrastructure works, provides about £4.4bn for disaster containment. Most will be used for drainage, but containment caps for hills will also be built.

"These are emergency works purely to reduce the repetition of tragedies," says Celso Carvalho, the national secretary of urban programmes. "Our cities are very insecure because of the failure to apply urban planning."

The reason urban planning was never taken into account is simple: the expression "long-term planning" is rarely found in Brazil's political dictionary. Short-term, eye-caching public works are the focus. Winning elections is the aim. Dominated by this logic, the main driver of cities' growth is profit, above everything else.

That's the reason why so many people live in high-risk areas, such as the slopes of mountains. Land in the city centres is too valuable for social housing; often governments don't force the private sector to use land in this way.

"The Brazilian cities comprehensive plan puts forward measures to avoid this problem, such as the creation of social interest zones and progressive taxing of unoccupied or sub-utilised buildings. The problem is that the pressure from estate agents is too high. Governments tend to yield to that," says Nabil Bonduki, a professor at the University of São Paulo and former city councillor. Building contractors and real estate companies are among some of the biggest campaign donors as well.

"The real challenge is just how deep-rooted and extensive the problem is. A [principle of] laissez faire rules in our cities, producing not only risky territories occupied by poor people, but also some risk areas occupied by the upper classes," says Luiz Cesar de Queiroz Ribeiro, a professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and coordinator of the Observatory of Metropolitan Cities. In Rio, many of the houses that came down in the landslides belonged to middle class families. They lived in risky areas because the views were good, the location was beautiful and the public administrators didn't have the strength to move them out. For Ribero, the institutional fragility of local administrations led to an incomplete process of citizenship building – for rich and poor.

The city of São Paulo is a good example. Every summer, thousands of people are affected by flooding, mainly in the poor neighbourhoods. About 10,000 people live in areas that are most affected – and the number is growing. Large avenues can become canals as widespread paving and impermeable soil leave little space for water drainage. The main government measure is to build "piscinões" – large reservoirs to retain water and stop it from running into rivers, so reducing the flow. And add to that the new roadway that was quickly built in the avenue that borders the Tiete River, one of the busiest roads in the city, to absorb traffic – paving the small bits of land that were left to absorb rainwater.

"Public works can't be done in 24 hours," says Geraldo Alckmin, the governor of São Paulo, now starting his second term in office.

So that's the logic behind it. Urban planners rarely think beyond the four-year term of an elected administration. Then, when a new governor takes office, his or her first measure is to discontinue all major policies in place. New administrators will sometimes rename all projects in an effort to claim credit for them.

It is a common saying that Brazilians don't have good memories. Our governments work hard to ensure it.

Rain, 50-70 mm in a few minutes, swamps Salta

[from El.Tribuno.com.ar, Martes 01 de Febrero de 2011]

La lluvia inundó la Capital en pocos minutos

a salvo: los vecinos de 13 de Abril son rescatados en un gomon

Hombres, mujeres y niños de distintos puntos de la ciudad miraban el cielo con temor, en la medianoche pasada, con la esperanza de que el agua les diera una tregua y no tuvieran que abandonar sus viviendas o que lamentar tanta pérdida.

La gente de los barrios periféricos y de zonas céntricas, al igual que calles, avenidas y canales se vieron inundados, intransitables, en pocos minutos. El alerta meteorológico se cumplió, y con creces, desde las 19, y la ciudad de Salta padeció el rigor. Afortunadamente, no hubo evacuados, de acuerdo con la información proporcionada anoche por Defensa Civil, pero vecinos del asentamiento 13 de Abril llegaban a sus casas en gomones para rescatar algunas cosas, en barrio Democracia la gente con el agua a la rodilla no descartaba hacer presentaciones por las obras que no se hacen y en Santa Cecilia se acondicionaba el CIC por si las dudas.

“No es tan fuerte la tormenta, es la sensación que provocan los rayos”, dijo el subsecretario de Defensa Civil, Gustavo Paul.

Incontables expresiones se escucharon ayer mientras se desataba sobre la capital salteña una lluvia de características inusuales. No era para menos luego de una jornada insoportable, con aire cálido y mucha humedad, las condiciones básicas para dar paso a una tormenta con lluvia que cierra enero con un milimetraje superior a la media anual.

Aunque desde la mañana, los presagios de la tormenta se hicieron ver, el agua comenzó a caer alrededor de las 19 para terminar -por lo menos en su mayor intensidad pasadas las 22.30- en algunos sitios. Al cierre de esta edición, las fuentes consultadas coincidieron en que cayeron entre 50 y 70 milímetros, según los sectores de la ciudad.

Agua por todos lados

Los centros de salud de Zabala y Catamarca y de Villa Esmeralda se inundaron mientras vecinos de San Luis y General Paz y de la Balcarce al 1.900, contemplaban entre asombrados y temerosos, el avance de las aguas. Al mismo tiempo, el canal ubicado en Delfín Leguizamón y Buenos Aires, rebasaba su capacidad y derivaba su caudal por las calles y casas aledañas.

Propietarios de negocios del mercado de pulgas de Ituzaingó, entre San Martín y Urquiza, lamentaban la inundación y calculaban las pérdidas, igual que otros comercios periféricos y céntricos afectados.

floods in Brazil

[from Reuters, 23 January 2011]

Brazil's landslide death toll reaches 803

The death toll from floods and landslides that devastated a mountainous region near Rio de Janeiro has reached 803, state authorities said on Sunday, as rescue teams scoured the mud for the hundreds still missing.

The disaster now ranks as the second-worst recorded in Brazil's history, according to United Nations data published in the Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper on Saturday, eclipsed only by a meningitis outbreak that killed 1,500 people in 1974.

Entire hillsides collapsed last week in the Serrana region, about 60 miles north of Rio, after the equivalent of a month's rain fell in 24 hours.

Avalanches of mud and water ripped through mainly poor communities, tossing cars atop buildings and burying families alive.

At least 207 people were recorded missing earlier this week, suggesting the final death toll could be close to 1,000.

Local officials estimated at least 300 were missing after the landslides, which have also left thousands homeless.

Fears are now growing about disease outbreaks in the area. Alexandre Padilha, the health minister, visited the worst-affected town of Nova Friburgo on Saturday, and state health authorities have warned against coming into contact with contaminated river water.

Landslides and flash floods are common in much of Brazil at this time of year, but the scale of the disaster has prompted renewed concerns that authorities failed to plan or take action to prevent the disaster.

Earlier this week, the Brazilian government vowed to set up a national early warning system that could alert communities to approaching natural dangers.

rain in Queensland, also in Brazil

[from ajc.com, 12 January 2011]

Torrential rain, floods in Rio leave 58 dead

RIO DE JANEIRO — Authorities in Rio de Janeiro say 58 people have died in the mudslides and flash floods that followed torrential rain overnight.

People walk on a flooded street at Vila Itaim neighborhood in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011. Brazilian authorities say heavy rains have triggered mudslides and floods in southeastern Brazil, killing at least 13 people. Sao Paulo state civil defense officials say 11 people died when their houses collapsed because of mudslides and two were killed in flash floods. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)

The mayor of the mountain town of Teresopolis just north of Rio says in a statement Wednesday that 48 people died, and more than 1,000 have been left homeless.

Civil defense officials for Rio state say eight died in the neighboring town of Nova Friburgo, including four firefighters. An elderly couple died in Petropolis.

The death count is expected to rise officials reach the steep mountain flanks and washed-out valleys in the region.

Rio's governor Sergio Cabral says he's called on the navy to lend helicopters to rescue workers.

Santiago del Estero quake

[from heraldsun.com.au, January 02, 2011 2:30AM]

Argentina hit by 7.0 quake

[Looks like the center of the quake was ~200 km from Cafayate]

A STRONG earthquake measuring 7.0 hit a sparsely populated region of northern Argentina early on Saturday.

The epicentre of the tremor, which occurred at 6.56am local time, was located 161 kilometres northeast of the city of Santiago del Estero, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, and the quake occurred at a depth of 362.6 miles.

Because the earthquake was so deep below the earth's surface, it only registered at a magnitude of around 2.0 to 3.0, seismologist Marcelo Pena from the Argentine national earthquake institute Inpres.

He said the epicentre of the quake was 24 miles from the town of Campo Gallo in northern Santiago del Estero province, a desert region which is sparsely populated, with only about 5,000 residents.

weather station

The La Estancia website now features a weather link on the home page. Click on the word "WEATHER" to bring up the latest report from the on-site Oregon Scientific WMR200 weather station.

Here's today's report:

Mapquest claims the weather station is at latitude: -26.0539989, longitude: -65.5899734

Seems like that's farther east than La Estancia. Mystery.

drought

[from agriculture.com, Dec 4, 2010]

UPDATE: South America crop report

CURITIBA, Brazil (Agriculture.com)--With the country's three most important corn and soybean provinces receiving just 64% or less of normal rainfall in 2010, crop and market-watchers have started to get nervous about Argentina's crops.

It is necessary to follow the next few weeks of weather in Argentina, because the plants are starting that early development stage.

In 2010/11, Argentine farmers are expected to plant 18.65 million hectares (1.7% more than the 2009/10 crop). As of Friday, 59% of the total area has been planted.

The three most important provinces (Buenos Aires, Córdoba e Santa Fé) represent 75% of the total soybean area in the Argentine soybean belt called "Umid Pampa". As of Friday, soybean emergence in Buenos Aires is rated at 73%, Cordoba 66% and Santa Fé 53%.

So far, the corn and soybean soils of Buenos Aires have received only 64% of normal rainfall. In Cordoba, the story is even worse, with just 52% of normal rainfall received. And in Santa Fe, 62% of normal rain has fallen on crop soils.

CORN

In 2010/11, Argentine corn farmers will plant an estimated 4.01million hectares (9.0% more than crop 2009/10). As of Friday, 80% of the crop has been planted.

Like soybeans, the three most important provinces (Buenos Aires, Córdoba e Santa Fé) represent 71% of total area of corn in Argentina's "Umid Pampa" area. Emergence of the corn crop in Buenos Aires 99.5%, Cordoba 81% and Santa Fé 84%.

Reports about weather indicate that the corn and soybean crops are in good and regular conditions. With the lack of normal rainfall, there is concern building, regarding the crop progress in some regions of production in Argentina.

weather

We regret to report that our 6-month-long weather tracking, culled from AccuWeather.com, was not accurate. Diane Romero reports that La Estancia has recently installed the first weather station in Cafayate. Soon it will be online, & we will resume our data collection from a geographically true source.