Historic rains transform the driest place on Earth into a floral oasis

When nature devastates, it often also brings life.

Historic rainfall in Chile this year killed 28 people and left thousands homeless, the news agency EFE reported.

In Antofagasta, Chile, it rained 0.9 inches in 12 hours - which is about what the area gets on average in an entire year, according to the Weather Channel.

But the historic rainfall has turned the Atacama Desert, which is the driest place on Earth, into a flowering oasis.

"The Atacama region was punished, but also blessed by the phenomenon of a flourishing desert, something that happens only after the rains, this time brought about by El Niño and climate change," Atacama National Tourism Service Director Daniel Diaz told EFE.