At least 22 people have died in 12 days of flooding in Colombia, leaving thousands of homes underwater. The water disaster was caused by unusually heavy rains for this time of year, reported Agence France-Presse, BTA reported.
In the northern departments of Cordoba and Sucre alone, the victims are 14, and at least 9,000 households have been affected by the emergency caused by the unusual meteorological phenomenon.
In the region, known for its livestock farming, people are trying to save their belongings in the worst-hit areas, where the water reaches the waist, using rubber boats, makeshift rafts and pickup trucks, AFP journalists reported.
“We have lost everything, all our belongings, all our electrical appliances and we are very worried because we do not know what will happen“, said 43-year-old Enid Gomez.
“We only have the clothes on our backs“, she added from Montería – the capital city of Cordoba – where about 150,000 people are in distress.
On Sunday, Colombian authorities reported at least 13 deaths from torrential rains in various parts of Colombia.
A cold front that penetrated from the northern part of the American continent to the Colombian Caribbean increased rainfall by more than 64% in January compared to the average amounts for the month, the National Institute of Meteorology “IDEAM“ reported, which indicated that this phenomenon is occurring “in the context of the climate crisis“.