No sooner than a new press installation was completed, a print centre in Uruguay has been devastated after being hit by a freak storm.

The offices of El Telegrafico in Paysandú in western Uruguay were among buildings damaged by the squall in which winds exceeding 120 kph caused significant damage with dozens of trees and roofs falling.

US-based ImPressions Worldwide had just completed electrical connections to a five-unit Goss Community press they had supplied, installation of which had already been delayed as a result of COVID-19.

The storm struck on July 11 at 6.20 am, blowing away the roof and some of the side walls of the building, and leaving about 16,000 people without power, although the customer reported damage was not as extensive as it looked at first: “Only the roof flew away and part of the sidewalls collapsed, but the structure and concrete first floor were undamaged.”

Another newspaper, El Observador, quoted director Alberto Baccaro that the storm destroyed a large part of the building, with the new printing plant representing a $1.2 million investment, excluding solar panels which were scattered on the street.

With back-up from ImPressions and a new roof in place in less than a week, it “could have been much worse. Thank you for your fast reply and support,” they wrote. New fabricated walls were expected to take longer.

“It's a hard blow at the worst of times, but I hope the old saying that ‘what doesn't kill you makes you stronger’ holds true in our case.”

Pictures courtesy of ImPressions Worldwide, whose project team is pictured below