Ombudsman calls for greater effort to mitigate emergencies due to winter wave

The ombudsman, Carlos Camargo, called for a redoubling of efforts in the face of the intensification of the rainy season that Colombia has had, due to the phenomenon of la niña that has been reported in the last month.

So far in 2022, there have been 386 winter emergencies in 280 municipalities in 21 departments. Of these, 210 were mass movements, 76 floods and 31 sudden increases. Approximately 30,000 people have been affected; 48 have been reported dead, 61 have been injured and 3 are missing, reports UNGRD. The most affected departments: Cundinamarca, Antioquia, Cauca, Huila, Tolima, Chocó, Risaralda, Valle and Santander.

The official who visited the municipality of San Carlos, Antioquia, said: “The emergency in San Carlos, like those that occurred in recent weeks in other regions of the country, are an example of the emergencies that could arise, according to the warnings issued by the National Disaster Risk Management System, in which the the possibility of an increase in rainfall that may reach historical levels”. In addition, he added that in this municipality 250 families were affected by the growing San Carlos River.

The Ombudsman asked the mayors to spare no effort to take the necessary measures to prevent situations that threaten the life, health, housing, economy and mobility throughout the territory of communities. Also, do not forget to carry out the monitoring to prevent other eventualities.

The red alert for emergencies is present in 10 departments, mainly because it seems that the rains will not stop. According to the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM), downpours will be present during the holiday weekend, in San José, “throughout the Pacific region, broad sectors of the Amazon and Andean regions, as well as specific sectors of the central and southern Caribbean region, and eastern Orinoquia”.

In Bogotá and La Sabana on the mornings of Saturday 19, Sunday 20 and Monday 21; dry weather will predominate, but with partly cloudy skies. Although light and moderate rains are expected in focused points of the country's capital.

For central Colombia, IDEAM expects that during the festive weekend there will be rainfall of varying intensity in Santander, Antioquia, Tolima, Boyacá, Huila and the departments of the Coffee Region. In addition, the heaviest rains are expected in Cauca and Nariño.

In the Caribbean Region, the most intense rainfall will occur in Córdoba, Sucre, Cesar and Bolivar, and in the vicinity of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Magdalena and south of La Guajira. Meanwhile, in San Andrés and Providencia there will be dry weather with partly cloudy skies. In the south of the country, the institute points out that the heaviest rains are expected in sectors of the Amazon, eastern Putumayo, central and eastern Guaviare, Vaupés and southern Guainía, with a high probability of electric shocks.

In addition to the calls of the Personería and the National Disaster Risk Management System, IDEAM issued an alert for the possibility of landslides in municipalities of: Antioquia, Boyacá, Caldas, Cauca, Huila, Meta, Nariño, Putumayo, Quindío, Risaralda, Santander and Valle del Cauca. In addition, in populations in the Caribbean region and the department of Cauca, the red alert is present due to possible sudden increases, overflows and floods.

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