Colombia’s meteorological service has said that departments from almost all over the country face the risk of flooding and landslides as heavy rains continue to cause problems, Caracol Radio reported Monday.
The Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) suggested that there are no signs that the damaging onset of the rainy season will abate in the coming weeks, offering no respite to the many people already victimized or those who remain at risk.
IDEAM Director Ricardo Lozano said that “There is high vulnerability and risk of landslides in many of the sloping departments, such as Antioquia, the Coffee Axis [Caldas, Quindio, Risaralda], Valle del Cauca, Cauca, Nariño, the Santanders [Santander and Norte de Santander], Tolima, Huila, Cundinamarca and Boyaca,” consisting largely of departments in the country’s interior.
Lozano added that “the trend will be overcast in the morning and then rain in the afternoon,” leading him to advise that people planning to travel over the Easter period should not travel when it is raining and attempt to do most of their travelling in the mornings.
Only the northern Caribbean coast reportedly has a dry climate, while the remaining departments nearly all contain some element of risk regarding the overflowing of rivers or landslides as a result of soil erosion.