Heavy Rains Affect Several Colombian Departments

Over the last 24 hours, several departments in Colombia have being suffering the consequences of heavy rains that have caused flooding and landslides.

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On Monday night, Interior Minister Alfonso Prada announced the installation of a crisis room and a unified command post to resolve problems in at least five departments.

So far, 28 municipalities in Valle del Cauca are in emergency due to floods and landslides. Governor Clara Luz Roldan announced the delivery of humanitarian aid to the affected families and the hiring of heavy machinery to clean debris. This equipment will also be used for the repair of retaining walls, rural roads, and bridges.

According to the latest report from the National Risk Management Unit, the most affected departments are Cauca, Cundinamarca, Choco, Norte de Santander, and Santander.

In the Colombian territory, 2,707 risk events have been registered in 776 municipalities located in 32 departments. The winter storm has left 53 missing and 496,226 people affected.

Bogota Mayor Claudia Lopez declared a red alert to address the effects caused by the flood in the La Calera sector due to flooding.

In October, the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) announced that Colombia will be affected by both the typical seasonal cycle of rains and the La Niña phenomenon in 2022 and some months of 2023.