Worst floods in decades hit Argentina

Argentine President Mauricio Macri on Sunday visited the town of Concordia to meet residents displaced by a flooding described by experts as "the most severe in the past half century." Concordia, some 430 km northeast of the capital Buenos Aires, in the province of Entre Rios, was one of the hardest-hit cities in Argentina. Macri also headed a meeting of a "crisis committee" called to address the emergency situation sparked by the floods. Meteorologists have been warning that this year's El Nino phenomenon would lead to extreme weather events in Latin America. Torrential rains have claimed at least six lives in different locations, as trees were uprooted and power lines knocked down. Paraguay has been the hardest hit country so far, where some 100,000 people have fled their homes, particularly in the capital Asuncion, as the Paraguay River continues to rise. Brazil and Uruguay were also affected. In Argentina, Macri promised the government would pitch in "with 66 percent of the investment needed" to build homes on higher ground for those whose low-lying houses were destroyed. "We want to be together at this difficult time with all of those affected by the rising waters, so that they know they are not alone," Macri told residents. "There are governors and mayors working to alleviate this (situation) and there is a national government committed to working together in good times and especially in bad," added Macri, who took office on Dec. 10.