Colombia is highly vulnerable to the upcoming rainy season, which forecasters say will be stronger than the last, El Espectador reported Thursday.
The country has not yet recovered from the destruction left by its worst winter in recent history, but forecasters at the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology, and Environmental Studies (IDEAM), a division of the Colombian Ministry of the Environment, warned that the next season may be even more severe.
There are still high-risk populations that should be moved in preparation for the rains, which will start in mid-September and continue until November. The Caribbean and Andean regions are most vulnerable, said representatives from IDEAM.
In particular, the IDEAM has issued a warning to residents of the northern Colombian department of Bolivar. The water levels in the department’s Magdalena River are already unusually high.
The last rainy season left 80,000 Bolivarian families homeless.
The director of IDEAM has advised the Colombian government and local emergency committees to strengthen disaster prevention plans.
According to the director, Colombia does not have a concrete strategy to deal with another destructive rainy season.
