Rapidly rising rivers in southwestern Colombia affected up to 15,000 families in recent days, reported local media.
According to the National Director of Risk Management, Carlos Ivan Marquez, two people are missing in the department of Putomayo. There have been no confirmed reports of deaths or injuries.
Local authorities said two villages, Monserrate and Tres Bocanas, have been completely submerged by floodwaters.
The Governor of Putumayo, Jimmy Harold Diaz, remarked Thursday evening, “It’s a grave situation and we will attend to it.” He confirmed that plans were underway to provide assistance to the homeless. Diaz claimed that approximately half of the households affected are located in the rural municipality of ??Puerto Asis.
Marquez claimed an injection of more than $2.2 million by the national government would be needed to assess the damage and forge a plan to rebuild.
Colombian president, Juan Manuel Santos, told reporters Thursday that “aid is already on its way.”
The flooded Putumayo and Guamuez rivers have put the municipalities of Puerto Asís, Puerto Leguízamo, San Miguel and the Valley of Guamuez most at risk. Red alerts have been declared in all of these areas.