At least 312 Colombians have been killed in floods and landslides during the devastatingly long rainy season that started in March last year.
According to the local branch of the Red Cross, 2.2 million Colombians are victims of the flood, 64 people are still missing and more than 300,000 were forced to leave their homes and find shelter elsewhere.
Although the heavy rains have slowed since late December, the Red Cross urges local emergency committees to stay alert as some rivers are still threatening to overflow and the some areas are still vulnerable to landslides.
The Red Cross thanked Colombians for donating $1.7 million dollars and 2,157 tons of goods for the victims.
So far, 783,627 Colombians have received humanitarian aid, the Red Cross said.
Colombia’s government on Friday announced it had extended the state of emergency by another 20 days to be able to attend the emergency situations occurring in 28 of the country’s 32 departments. Bogota also cautioned local and departmental governments against corruption when being granted aid for victims.
