The government of Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro declared a natural disaster, which would allow a more effective response to excessive rainfall.

The declaration of a natural disaster gives the government access to funds to respond to rains that affect more than 700 of Colombia’s 1,100 municipalities, according to authorities.

Disaster response agency UNGRD said Friday that more than 200 people have died as a consequence of the rains during the ongoing rainy season.

According to the UNGRD, some 416,000 people are affected by the excessive rains caused by weather phenomenon “La Niña,” which exacerbates annual rains once every few years.

President Gustavo Petro

How the government would use its extraordinary powers

Petro said on Friday that he would use emergency funds “to attend the population in crisis because of the floods and the hunger.”

The excessive rains are caused by annual rains that are common in this part of the year and climate phenomenon La Niña, which occurs once in every few years.

Petro said that he would use emergency funds “fundamentally” on disaster response “depending on the region.”

“In some, people will have to be relocated,” said Petro, who suggested that the government would compensate farmers for harvests lost as a consequence of the emergency.

The rains have dramatically increased flood risks in the Caribbean region in the north of Colombia and the central Andean region, according to the UNGRD.

The limits of the disaster powers

The declaration of a natural disaster increases the government’s discretionary powers to spend public funds on disaster prevention and response.

Petro previously said that he was considering to declare an economic emergency, a far more radical measure that allows governments to issue emergency decrees without congressional approval.

The president apparently opted for the less radical decree that gives the national government more budgetary powers for disaster management.