The Colombian government pledged $519 million Friday to help victims of the winter rains.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said the money will go repairing damaged housing. Only people who have been affected by the rains in the last three or four months will be eligible for aid, with each family receiving between $519 and $1,557.
“We decided to transfer $519 million to the new Risk Management Agency to attend to needs, not only on a humanitarian level, which we have been doing effectively, but also meeting other needs, such as the houses that have been affected, the small-scale farmers who have once again lost their harvests,” said Santos.
Speaking at the presidential palace Casa de Nariño, the head of state said the money would be received by the Risk Management Agency Friday or early next
The Colombian government says that to date it has helped 550,000 people, or 112,000 families.
In the capital city, Bogota, 10,000 people were left homeless after the city’s river bursts its banks Wednesday.
