Colombia’s rainy season, which began in March ends mid-June, has left 55 dead, 53 wounded and 11 missing, Colombia media reported Friday.
More than 180,000 people have been affected by the first of the country’s two rainy seasons, according to a report issued by the National Union for Crisis and Risk Management (UNGRD).
But this year’s rainy season has been far less intense than the previous two years, thanks to the cooling influence of La Niña on ocean currents near the Equator. The rains of 2010-2011 left 400 dead.
This year’s rainy period has also destroyed 683 homes and damaged 27,000 more, the report said.
It has also wreaked havoc on the country’s infrastructure, affecting 146 water reservoirs, 134 schools, 18 health centers and nearly 600 roads. The report estimated that repairing the damages would cost the country $21.5 million.
The Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology, and Atmospheric studies predict that weather conditions will worsen in Colombia’s northern and mountainous regions before the rainy season comes to a close.
Once the dry season begins it should continue through the start of Colombia’s second rainy season, which lasts from September to December.
