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South America: Floods and Landslides - Nov 2015-Dec 2016

Statut
Passé
Pays
Paraguay
+ 9
Types de catastrophes
Inondation
+ 3

Since November 2015, severe weather brought on by El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO,) including heavy rains, floods, flash floods and landslides significantly hit South America.

In Venezuela, due to rains in July 2016, 153 homes were affected in the State of Miranda, of which 56 were in Guarenas-Guatire and 97 were in Barlovento. Homes were affected by flooding, strong winds, and other environmental factors. (PAHO, 19 Jul 2016)

In Colombia, according to UNGRD data, at least 53,500 people were affected by natural disasters in the country in November 2016. Main events were related to flooding and landslides and the most affected department were Cauca and Bolívar. (OCHA, 30 Nov 2015) As of June 2016, some 13,741 families have been affected by the first rainy season of the year. (Gov't of Colombia, 20 Jun 2016)
In Cordoba, some 6,700 people require humanitarian assistance as a consequence of heavy winds and floods since end of July. (OCHA, 12 Aug 2016) At the end of August, floods affected more than 35,000 people in the province of Chocó. (OCHA, 8 Sep 2016)
Due to heavy rains between 18-23 October, around 20,4093 families were affected in 20 districts of Chocó department. The entire department was declared under state of public calamity. (OCHA, 28 Oct 2016)

Ecuador declared a state of emergency On 25 January 2016 following two days of heavy rains in Esmeraldas, Atacames, and Rioverde. Official reports from the province of Esmeraldas estimated that 5,899 families (23,955 people) were directly affected; 70 per cent were evacuated to collective centres. The families who returned to their homes lost or suffered damage to between 50 per cent and 80 per cent of their belongings. IFRC’s MDREC011 operation concluded on 22 October 2016 (IFRC, 22 Oct 2016)

In Peru, some 103,267 people are affected, 20 are dead, 28 injured and 8,729 are homeless from emergencies related to El Niño since the end of 2015. Authorities report 24,295 houses affected, as well as 393 schools and 72 health centers. (OCHA, 4 Apr 2016) Between June and August 2016, heavy rains caused the overflowing of river Putumayo in the Loreto department, affecting houses, schools and crop fields. (Gov't of Peru, 4 Aug 2016)

In Brazil, the Emergency Management Service reported that as many as many as 2,214 households have been affected by the rainstorms in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. A total of 1,964 households were displaced. The storms hit forty municipalities. (Government of Brazil, 28 Dec 2015)

In Bolivia, on 21 December 2015, a state of emergency was declared in at least 50 municipalities due to heavy rains, floods and drought. (ECHO, 23 Dec 2015) Severe weather brought on by El Niño has affected 60,000 people in Bolivia and left 19 people dead from November 2015 to March 15, 2016, according to the Defense Minister. (PAHO, 15 Mar 2016)

In Paraguay, the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in the San Pedro department on 21 December 2015 reported that 19,750 people (3,950 families) in the department have been affected. In total, 10 of San Pedro’s 20 districts were affected by the flooding. In the districts of Guayaibi, Capiivary, San Pedro de Ycuamandyyú, Lima and Nueva Germania 1,105 families were also affected by hail storms. (IFRC, 28 Dec 2015) In October 2016, 2,837 families were affected in ten different district as a result of three storms. (REDHUM, 27 Oct 2016) As of 31 October 2016, IFRC’s operation MDRPY018 had the food security component fully completed. Water, sanitation and hygiene promotion activities reached an average of 80 per cent of the proposed objectives for the operation and the appeal coverage was at 82%. (IFRC, 2 Dec 2016)

In Uruguay, 23,571 people were displaced by early January due to severe rains in the north of the country since December 2015. (Gov't of Uruguay, 2 Jan 2016) In April 2016, heavy rains, as well as a tornado, have caused flooding and destroyed homes in various areas in Uruguay. According to Uruguay's National Emergency System's (SINAE) 21 April 2016 report, both events displaced more than 10,355 people. (IFRC, 17 Nov 2016)

In Argentina, 14 out of the 23 provinces of Argentina were affected, primarily with severe rainfall and the overflow of the Paraná, Uruguay, Pilcomayo and Paraguay rivers and its tributaries in December 2015. By late February 2016, these floods, the most complex registered in the last century in Argentina, affected more than 76,133 people in 14 provinces. In April 2016, intense rains again fell, affecting 72,119 people in 7 provinces. (FRC, 14 Dec 2016)