The western Colombian department of Choco has been placed on high alert due to heavy rains, flooding and an overflowing river which has swept away several houses and possessions.
Four out of the department’s 16 municipalities have been placed under the alert, where the number of residents affected has not yet been determined by emergency services, due to difficult access and the ongoing conditions.
Several schools in the area have suspended classes whilst some families spent the night on their roofs.
A woman affected by the flooding, Maria Nubia Angulo, said it had taken the community by surpise.
“The growing (river) caught us off guard and came into our house and got everything wet. We did not expect this because (the river) has been rising for five years but not like it did today, that is why it took us by surprise and got everything wet, the mattress, the fridge, we had some papers too and everything got wet, some hens and chicken, everything has gone,” said Angulo.
Director of the Office for the prevention and attention to disasters in Buenaventura, Hector Fabio Montano, said efforts were ongoing to determine how many had been affected.
“We are carrying out the surveys of how many houses were affected, and crops principally. Fortunately, there were no lives lost until now and we are starting to see a drop in the water level here, but the situation suffered in the community of Zacarias has always been lamentable,” said Montano.
According to residents, rains like these have not been seen in five years.
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016
