When A Deadly Flood Is Engineered by Politics, Not Climate Change

Sure, climate change fueled the coastal storm in Argentina, but a negligent system drowned the people

Argentina’s President Javier Milei, a stubborn climate change denier — what is he going to say now? (created by author)

On Thursday, March 6, Argentina’s National Meteorological Service (SMN) issued a timid orange alert for storms over the country’s central and coastal regions. Business as usual.

By 4 AM on Friday, March 7, the first drops began to fall in Bahía Blanca, the ninth largest city in the country. Light, hesitant. The kind of rain that makes you wonder if you should bring an umbrella to work. By the time the SMN upgraded the alert from orange to red, the city was already drowning.

Because, within eight hours, Bahia Blanca got over 400 millimeters (15.7 inches) of rain — nine months’ worth of water before lunch-time.

Flash floods ripped through streets, killing at least 16 people and leaving more than 150 still missing. Bridges collapsed, roads crumbled, homes and hospitals turned into waterlogged ruins. The city’s drainage system…