Colombia’s rainy season has now taken the lives of 117 people, according to the Ministry of Interior and Justice.
Over all, 1,170,480 people have been affected by the extreme weather, in 28 of Colombia’s 32 departments. The ministry says that 191 people have been injured and 20 have disappeared, while 1,654 houses have been destroyed and 196,000 damaged.
In light of these climbing numbers, Minister German Vargas Lleras made a renewed call to the country to help those who have been affected by the rains.
“We’re making a new call, as the president did yesterday, to the governors of the departments and the mayors of the municipalities, to non-governmental organizations, the Red Cross and and others who have helped, to society in general, and private businesses, that they coordinate and help us make a a greater effort to take care of the very serious problem the people who have been affected by the rainy season are facing,” Vargas Lleras said.
The government has also announced that nearly COP60 million ($32,340) has been added to the COP$250 billion ($137.5 million) in aid already planned for rainy season victims.
Transport Minister German Cardona Gutierrez will propose to the Council of Ministers that a state of emergency be declared in Colombia, as the country experiences the worst rainy season in 60 years.