The Bogota River is expected to overflow if current heavy seasonal rains persist, said regional authorities.
“We are three downpours away” from the Bogota River reaching its capacity, the head of the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Cundinamarca (CAR) Edgar Bejarano told Caracol Radio. If that happened, the surrounding region would be put on an official “red alert.”
Over 50 families were reportedly affected by the recent rains in Cundinamarca Department, where the capital city is located, and authorities were put on “high alert.”
Bejarano said the CAR were urging local disaster committees to prepare emergency relief and continue with preventative actions.
Teams in charge of monitoring the river said they were approximately 18 inches away from announcing an orange alert and 35 away from a red alert, the maximum level that can be awarded by emergency services.
Meanwhile, an orange alert was announced in Manizales, the capital of the central Caldas Department, after 90% of its weather stations registered more than 18 inches of rainfall. Riverside areas were deemed vulnerable to landslides.
According to the National Disaster Unit, this year approximately $8.4 million was put aside for the rainy season, of which $2.2 million was already used to care for approximately 4,300 flood victims nationwide.