OCHA Situation Report No. 1 Colombia - Floods 26 May 2000
Background Colombia has a tropical climate on the coast and a temperate climate on the plateau. There are two main seasons, the wet season (March - May) and the dry season (December - February, June - August) except in the northern plains where there is only one long wet season from May to October. Colombia is prone to earthquakes, floods, and landslides. A strong earthquake affected the town of Armenia and its surroundings (1,186 dead) in January 1999 and severe floods affected some 85,000 in 1995. Disaster Situation The United Nations Resident Coordinator's office in Bogota informs that incessant rains over the past weekend caused floods and mudslides in the southwest and northeastern parts of Colombia. Affected Areas The southwestern states of Narino and Putumayo and the northeastern state of Santander. Population Affected/Damage Some 2,400 families have been directly affected, 2,170 houses damaged, and some 1,900 ha of bean and cornfields have been destroyed. In 18 municipalities of Narino, main bridges were destroyed, and some 250,000 residents have been cut off. According to the information released by the National Directorate for Prevention and Response (DNPAD) on 23 May, 46 people lost their lives and 50 were missing. National Response Regional and local committees of DNPAD have been activated and are being coordinated by the National System, which includes the Civil Defense, Armed Forces and the Colombian Red Cross. Request for International Assistance The government of Colombia has not requested international assistance. UN Disaster Management Team The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is in close contact with the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bogota, who is convening a meeting of the United Nations Disaster Management Team (UN-DMT) to review the present situation. This situation report, together with further information on ongoing emergencies, is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at http://www.reliefweb.int Telephone:+41-22-917-1234 Fax: +41-22-917 00 23 In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10 Desk Officers (OCHA Disaster Response Branch): Mr. Erik Haegglund /Mr. Carlos Monteiro-Pereira / Ms. Masayo Kondo - Direct Tel. +41-22 917 3299 / 1383 / 1997 Press Contact: Mr. Donato Kiniger-Passigli - Direct Tel.+41-22-917-26 53 distributed by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Volunteers in Technical Assistance Disaster Information Center lists: www.vita.org/listsub.htm sitreps nat-dsr web: www.vita.org fireline - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -