Original article: Manos al barro: estudiantes de la FECh despejan calles inundadas en comunas populares tras el temporal

Students from FECh Clear Flooded Streets in Low-Income Neighborhoods After Severe Weather

Over a hundred volunteers from the Federation of Students of the University of Chile (FECh) have dedicated themselves to the task of clearing the streets in low-income neighborhoods that have been flooded due to the severe weather hitting the country.

Under the motto «La Chile helps Chile», these young people have spread out across critical areas of Lo Espejo, La Cisterna, Cerro Navia, and Puente Alto, undertaking emergency tasks ranging from muck removal to sandbag distribution.

This immediate response to the emergency seeks to restore accessibility for residents whose sidewalks and streets have turned into rivers of water and mud.

The deployment intensified on Thursday in areas such as Avenida La Feria and Callejón Lo Ovalle in Lo Espejo, where crews of future professionals, armed with shovels and rakes, removed debris and mud to enable pedestrian and vehicular passage. This initiative, originated from the student federation, aims not only to alleviate the immediate effects of the storm but also to «show solidarity and engage with the community».

The replication of these efforts in Puente Alto and Cerro Navia highlights a self-managed coordination that, in the face of slow state response, serves as a relief for the affected families.

FECh president, Laura Mlynarz, emphasized that youth not only embodies rebellion but also possesses the energy and knowledge to tackle emergencies. In statements to Radio Nuevo Mundo, she noted, «students must fulfill the role of making ourselves available to the needs of the people of Chile.»

However, Mlynarz also addressed the structural inequality that exacerbates the disaster: «A frontal system like this doesn’t affect all neighborhoods equally,» she warned, highlighting that in the outskirts of the Metropolitan Region, «the streets look like rivers, and homes are flooded.”

The federation confirmed that volunteer efforts will continue even after the storm passes, and extended an open invitation to university students to join the campaign in collaboration with the Confederation of Students of Chile (CONFECh).

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Call to Minister Poduje to Address Historical Demand

The mayor of Lo Espejo, Javiera Reyes, expressed her gratitude towards the volunteers, highlighting that the removal efforts made progress on tasks that would have taken days with their own resources. «With this, we are building community,» said the mayor, who also revealed that she has urged Minister of Housing and Urbanism, Iván Poduje to seek a definitive solution for Avenida Lo Espejo, a location that historically floods and has once again been cleared by municipal workers and students, while awaiting government action to address a need that has persisted for decades.

Featured Photo: FECh.