3,000 Colombian families hit by extreme weather

The Colombian Red Cross said Wednesday that 3,000 families across the country have been affected the floods, landslides and high winds that have battered the country in the last two weeks, according to Caracol Radio.

The central Colombian department of Risaralda was battered with heavy rains and gail force winds over Easter, leaving 80 families homeless.

Most of the damage was in the departments of Antioquia, Cauca, Choco and Caqueta Quindio, but the Red Cross said that the families struggling to deal with the devastation were spread over twelve departments.

The Red Cross has called on local authorities to implement permanent systems to monitor the levels of river and streams and the conditions of hillsides.

The relief agency said that it was vital to have such preventative measures in place, as well as adequate emergency response plans to lessen the effects of natural disasters.

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