Colombia’s government has allocated $382 million (COP1.7 trillion) to respond to multiple disasters caused by what the government calls a “climate collapse.”
President Gustavo Petro declared a national disaster after extreme weather caused floods in the Pacific and Caribbean regions, and in the capital Bogota.
In Choco, a province on the Pacific coast, regional authorities estimate that more than 100,000 people were affected by the flooding of rivers that followed torrential rains in the past week.
Parts of La Guajira, a province on the Caribbean coast, also flooded after the passing of multiple hurricanes in the region caused extreme rainfall.
Bogota, which has seen relatively minor floods, lacks drinking water after an extended dry season dried up the capital city’s main water reserve.
The national government reserved a budget of $18 million (COP80 billion) specifically for these regions.
The remainder of the emergency budget will be spend throughout Colombia to attend ongoing problems with floods and landslides caused by the particularly brutal rainy season.