Floods displace thousands in northern Colombia: Video
Severe flooding caused by heavy rainfall and overflowing rivers has affected more than 43,000 families in Montería and the surrounding areas of Colombia’s Córdoba department, forcing widespread evacuations.
Images from Sunday, February 8, show residents wading through flooded streets, carrying furniture and food, rescuing pets and livestock, and improvising transport with mattresses, wooden planks and inflatable pools as roads disappeared under water.
Córdoba Governor Erasmo Zuleta said around 80 per cent of the department has been impacted, including 24 of its 30 municipalities. Local authorities reported that river overflows and prolonged flooding have damaged homes and rural infrastructure, with more than 33,000 families particularly affected following a series of cold fronts that hit the Caribbean region in late January. Residents described the floods as unavoidable despite efforts to reinforce riverbanks with sandbags and makeshift barriers.
Emergency agencies remain focused on protecting lives and providing shelter and food to displaced families, according to Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management. President Gustavo Petro said the scale of the disaster exceeds the state’s normal response capacity, citing 14 deaths, around 9,000 homes destroyed and more than 300,000 people affected nationwide as extreme weather continues to strain vulnerable communities.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
