Colombia Declares State of Emergency After Heavy Rain Causes Deadly Landslides and Flooding in Cundinamarca and Other Areas

Heavy rain triggered widespread flash floods and lethal landslides in Cundinamarca Department and other municipalities, leaving multiple people dead and several others missing.

The death toll is expected to rise as emergency operations are underway.

State of Emergency Declaration

The latest reports on Tuesday, April 26, suggest that a renewed natural calamity swept through Colombia last week and its effect still emanates since then.

The natural disaster resulted in the death of at least eight people.

In Cundinamarca, Governor Nicolas Garcia, in his statement on Saturday, April 23, issued a declaration of the public calamity of state of emergency for the whole Department in response to the severe weather over recent days, as cited by the natural disaster monitoring site Floodlist.com.

Members of Colombia's Civil Defense agency have conducted search-and-rescue operations following the landslide in Cachipay, damaging homes and resulting in two fatalities.

These victims were among the said number total number of casualties from the recent natural calamity.

The emergency declaration will allow the local government to immediately provide financial and technical support for each municipality.

Governor Garcia also implied that it would also pave the way for the acquisition of government-mandated funds that will be used to repair more than 90 roads.

Other Affected Areas

The adverse weather not only affected Cundinamarca but also other areas as well, causing large-scale disruption and damage, including in Facatativa, El Rosal, and Puerto Salgar.

In Viota, several mudslides hit the municipality overnight between April 21 and April 22, killing five people and leaving many families homeless after their houses were either completely destroyed or damaged.

In Arbalaez, the Cundinamarca government reported that four people are still missing after floodwaters in the municipality on Monday, April 25.

In Anapoima, the Civil Defense reported that floods in the municipality killed one person.

Colombia Rainy Season

Local authorities claim that the harsh weather since the start of the rainy season has affected more than 20,000 people across the country.

Garcia also added that the severe weather has affected 85 out of the 116 municipalities, as per Floodlist.com.

On Monday, the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) reportedly stated that 33 people were killed, 45 others were injured, and 10 are still missing since the onset of the rainy season on March 15 this year.

Between March 16 and April 24, the UNGRD estimated there have been 369 weather events, including 196 landslides, 134 flash floods, strong winds, lightning strikes, and hailstorms throughout 210 municipalities in 22 departments of Colombia.

Additionally, the Colombian disaster preparedness agency said 21,524 people from 6,813 families were affected when these weather hazards destroyed 117 and damaged 3,025 homes.

Infrastructural damage also reveals that this year's wet season affected 371 roads were affected, 34 vehicular bridges, and eight pedestrian bridges.

UNGRD Director Eduardo urged the public to remain alert as the rainy season may last until June 15.

Weather alerts and warnings are possible in the coming days and several weeks.

Prior to the wet season, Colombia witnessed a massive mudslide in early February, killing at least 15 people, as per CNN.