( CNN ) -- Chilean officials declared a `` catastrophe '' in eight municipalities Wednesday after heavy snow blanketed communities and blocked roads in what the nation 's interior minister called a `` white earthquake . '' `` It has snowed more than ever , '' Curacautin Mayor Jorge Saquel told CNN Chile Tuesday . `` This is an anomaly . ... This worries us because the meteorologists assure us that new snowstorms are coming . '' In the city of Lonquimay , officials said snow had piled more than 2.3 meters ( 7.5 feet ) high . Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter on Wednesday called the situation a `` white earthquake '' and asked the country 's military and public works officials to help citizens in some of the hardest-hit areas in the country 's central Araucania region . `` This storm is strong and it is likely that in the coming days we could suffer from more bad weather fronts , more heavy snowfall , that make the situation even worse , '' Hinzpeter said . `` But of course when this occurs , our government will always be on the side of those who are suffering , using all the tools provided by our legal system . '' Authorities said they were sending trucks filled with food to the region , along with military helicopters to reach people in remote areas . More than 6,500 people remained isolated Wednesday in Lonquimay , a town with many living in outlying , rural areas , CNN Chile affiliate Universidad Autonoma Television reported . Earlier this week , local officials said federal assistance had not arrived quickly enough . `` The settlers and people of Lonquimay are buried undered the snow . There are areas with more than 2.3 meters of snow and we have gone many days without being able to communicate with many of them , '' Lonquimay Mayor Guillermo Vasquez said in a statement Monday . `` The emergency director promised us two bulldozers to clear the roads . We have people who are isolated . ... Touching the snow , it is like glass , '' Saquel told CNN Chile . `` The machines and food should have arrived as soon as possible . ''
NEW : Officials in one city say more than 2.3 meters of snow have fallen . CNN Chile affiliate : More than 6,500 are isolated in one town . `` It has snowed more than ever , '' Curacautin Mayor Jorge Saquel says . The interior minister calls the snowstorm a `` white earthquake ''