Around 9,100 people were estimated to have been affected by heavy seasonal rains in Colombia this year, according to the government’s Risk Management Unit.
Emergencies due to the weather have been reported in 25 departments. The risk assessment agency warned that the situation could deteriorate further as the likelihood of sudden mudslides increases cumulatively throughout the rainy season.
The Andean region is particularly affected, along with departments Santander, Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda, Quindio, Cundinamarca, Boyaca, and Valle del Cauca. Downpours are also expected in Cesar, Magdalena, and Cordoba of the Caribbean region, according to the agency.
Those departments and their municipalities need to put their emergency plans into practice as soon as possible to avoid a deterioration of the situation, said the Risk Management Unit.