On the afternoon of this Saturday, April 23, the consequences of heavy rains were felt in Bogotá and La Calera after citizens and district entities recorded the fall of hail on the road that communicates both populations.
Through social networks, netizens recorded the ice-covered roads that complicated mobility in Cundinamarque territory.
Precisely the governor of Cundinamarca, Nicolás García, declared public calamity in the department following the heavy rains that also flooded Viota, Cachipay, bGuaduas, Caparrapí, Chaguani, Pacho, Topaipí and La Palma.
The poor state of the roads and airspace also led Aeronáutica Civil to announce considerable delays in flights arriving at Bogotá's El Dorado Airport, around 2:00 p.m.
This is how Aerocivil announced the delays of approximately 100 minutes in the itineraries of the capital airport:
On the other hand, several waterlogging in the streets of Bogotá caused delays in the mobility of vehicles. Avenida Caracas with Calle 56 was impassable by the water that rose to its level in the exclusive TransMilenio lane, as well as on some roads in the town of Chapinero.
Yolanda González, director of the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (Ideam), announced that there are coming days of greater intensity in terms of rainfall:
The images that recorded the hail in La Calera show the completely white road after Saturday's heavy rain that had repercussions in the towns of Usaquén, Chapinero, Barrios Unidos and Teusaquillo.
As a result of these events, Ideam requested greater caution from drivers to prevent accidents. In addition, he noted the importance of reporting any problems to line 123. Similarly, the institute indicated that rains would continue to be heavy in the north of the city and in the towns surrounding the eastern hills.
At about 5:43 p.m. the mayor, Claudia López, spoke via Twitter to notify that the capital's firefighters and officials of the Bogotá Aqueduct attended the emergency due to the water filling presented on 106th street with seventh race; 53rd street with seventh race; and 53rd street with Avenida Caracas, to normalize traffic on these roads.
Around 6:40 p.m. the official fire brigade of Bogotá notified the fall of a tree in Chapinero to alert about the emergency and take care of the roads at the time of driving:
Finally, at 6:56pm, the District Institute for Risk Management and Climate Change (Idiger), warned about the locations that accumulated the most rainfall on Saturday, April 23:
Among the recommendations left by the institute to avoid accidents on the road during rainy seasons are:
Drive at low speed, distance yourself from other vehicles, keep your lights on and use reflective elements if you are riding a bicycle or motorcycle.
Ideam also reported on the “increase in the level of the Bogotá River caused by increased rainfall”, a situation that affects municipalities in Cundinamarca, including Tena, La Mesa, Anapoima, Apulo, Tocaima, Agua de Dios and Girardot.
KEEP READING: