Governor of La Guajira requests the declaration of a national disaster emergency due to the effects left by the storm Rafael – credit Colpresa
Tropical Storm Rafael has wreaked havoc in the Caribbean region of Colombia, leaving entire communities cut off due to heavy rains and flooding.
In the department of La Guajira, especially In Alta Guajira, residents face serious difficulties after the overflowing of streams that have flooded roads and homes from holiday Monday, November 4.
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To address this emergency, a Unified Command Post (PMU) led by the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (Ungrd) was carried out.
This meeting was attended by the mayors of affected municipalities such as Manaure and Riohacha, as well as risk management representatives from Uribia, Maicao and Dibulla. During the meeting, The local authorities presented the main effects and needs to face the situation.
The intense rains caused by the passage of tropical storm Rafael have left more than 70 families affected in La Alta Guajira – credit @jaiaguilar/X
The governor of La Guajira, Jairo Aguilar Deluque, expressed his concern about the impact of the rains in the region to the director of the Ungrd, Carlos Carrillo. Aguilar requested the support of the national government to undertake urgent actions and requested that the situation of national disaster be declared.which would speed up care for the victims.
“We need an urgent declaration of a national disaster situation. We require support with actions to work together, and we are willing to add everything we have to team up and build the best for our people. This is an urgent call; “Our people are waiting for us and we need timely solutions,” said the regional president.
Among the proposed measures, Aguilar highlighted the creation of a machinery fund to rehabilitate the affected roads, improving access to the areas hardest hit by the storm. and build adequate access roads in the department.
The initiative seeks not only to mitigate the current emergency, but also to prevent future adverse climate events through adequate infrastructure in the department. “Today an overflight of the impacted areas will be carried out to evaluate the situation and define the necessary measures to deal with this emergency,” Aguilar said in his X account.
Among the requests made, the governor urged to declare the situation of national disaster to address the emergency that affects several regions of the country – credit @jaiaguilar/X
For his part, Carlos Carrillo assured that on Wednesday, November 6, together with the governor of La Guajira, they will fly over the affected areas to evaluate the situation and make relevant decisions. “The first thing we will do is provide technical support to guarantee the delivery of aid. The Ungrd responds to emergencies, “But La Guajira needs fundamental solutions, and much of what we can do depends on budget availability.”indicated the director of the entity.
This is how Carillo explained that they have requested an addition to the Ministry of Finance to serve the populations affected by the intense rains. “The Ungrd is processing a budget addition for $700 billion before the Ministry of Finance to address the emergencies generated by the rains in the country,” the entity indicated in an official statement.
Hurricane Rafael is moving northwest, moving away from Colombia and its maritime zone, but its influence continues to impact meteorological conditions in the Colombian Caribbean.
Although without direct effects in the national territory, interactions with other meteorological systems of the season have been recorded, increasing the probability of occasional rains in the eastern region of the Caribbean and in the center of the Colombian Caribbean Seaaccording to the Ideam (Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies).
The emergency coincides with the presence of a potential tropical cyclone in the Colombian Caribbean – credit Colombia Oscura
The authorities have established a surveillance alert level in the maritime and coastal areas of the Colombian Caribbean due to the current maritime and meteorological conditions. This alert level includes the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, as well as La Guajira.
The Ideam has indicated that the cyclonic system continues to affect the flow of winds, mainly on the central and southern coasts of the Colombian Caribbean, cwith south-southeast direction winds and speeds ranging between 20 and 25 km/h.
In addition, the National Maritime Authority has warned about possible restrictions and security measures for activities on the coasts. The waves in the most affected areas have been recorded with heights between 1.0 and 1.5 meterswithout generating major problems so far.
The National Disaster Risk Management System has activated its National Tropical Cyclone Response Plan, urging local entities to keep their protocols and contingency plans active.
