The Colombian government will ask the Ministry of Finance for an additional $38 million (COP70 billion) to deal with a second wave of devastating rains that are predicted to arrive in October, reports CM&.
The minister of justice and interior, German Vargas Lleras, explained that the national office for emergency management had seen its funds dry up following the emergency budget provided to the Mojana region, where severe flooding has affected at least 160,000 people.
“The emergency budget was exhausted, we had a first winter wave that left us without resources and today we are asking the treasury for a special addition … the office of emergency management must have the resources it needs for an effective advancement, it would not be less than COP70 billion,” Vargas Lleras said.
In July the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) said that a second winter season would begin in October, due to the La Niña phenomenon.
The La Niña phenomenon typically brings rain to the region and is formed by tropical waves along the African coast, which move from east to west along the equatorial belt, according to IDEAM.
“These waves pass very slowly, not as fast as they did before, and this has allowed the cloud to remain over Colombia for longer, bringing more rain,” a meteorologist at IDEAM said.
In Colombia, increased rainfall between March and August causes temperatures to drop, leading locals to refer to the period as winter.