Facts about damage caused by months of heavy rains
BOGOTA (AlertNet) - Colombia is dealing with a major humanitarian disaster as a result of the worst flooding in over three decades. (full story)
Below are some facts about the damage caused by months of heavy rains.
* 200,000 hectares of farmland are submerged.
* 28 of Colombia’s 32 provinces are affected by the flooding.
* Over 300,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed across the country.
* 3,000 km (1,863 miles) of roads have been damaged or made impassable by mud and landslides triggered by the flooding.
* Over 500 schools across 18 provinces have been damaged or destroyed by heavy rains. This has meant around 320,000 children have not been able to attend school. Some schools have been turned into temporary shelters for the homeless.
* The United States, Japan, Ecuador, Israel and South Korea, among other countries, have pledged or already sent humanitarian aid to Colombia.
* The flooding is estimated to have caused up to $5.2 billion worth of damage.
* The government has transferred around $550 million from the budget to a catastrophe fund to deal with the disaster.
* Technical teams from Colombia and the United States are struggling to contain the overflow of water from a burst canal on the country’s Atlantic coast.
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