Heavy rain and fierce gales left 600 homes damaged and five people injured in the town of Nocaima, 40 miles north-west of Bogota, local media reported Saturday.
Town mayor, Wilson Rojas Bohoquez told radio that “as a consequence of this emergency at least 500 homes in the urban area and 100 homes in the rural area were affected. We had to evacuate 100 families to provisional shelters and five people were injured.”
The five casualties suffered head injuries and were taken to hospital in nearby Facativa, but were discharged the same night. There were also reports of power cuts and the sewage system overflowing in some parts of town. Initial technical assessments estimate that it will take 5 days to repair the damage.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos warned the nation to prepare for more heavy rains, a symptom of the La Niña phenomenon. On March 28, nine homes in Manizales were destroyed by a mudslide.