The weather phenomenon of La Niña has caused havoc in eight states in Venezuela, and authorities have already affected some 4,000 families as a result of the torrential rains.
According to specialists from the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology of Venezuela (Inameh), La Niña causes atmospheric instability in the Venezuelan Caribbean Sea, which, when interacting with the intertropical convergence zone, generates “clouds of large vertical evolution” that produce these large clouds . Rainfall.
As expected, Rain will remain “moderate to heavy” for at least 24 hours Throughout the national territory, they warn that the greatest amount of water could fall on the state of Zulia, the Andes region and the western plains.
AndThese deposits, in addition to being earlier than their usual period starting in May, had unusual behavior Regarding the country’s historical average annual rainfall, the amount of water that fell “increased by 300%”, causing rivers and streams to overflow and landslides.
Effects in nine states
In statements to the local media, Radio UnionThe Minister of the Interior, Justice and Peace, Remigio Ceballos, reported that the states most affected so far are Anzoategui, Carabobo, Capital District, Lura Merida, Tachira, Trujillo and ZuliaAnd he noted that 3,000 soldiers are participating in the emergency to take care of families, especially in critical areas where rains have left communities cut off from the outside world and caused massive damage to homes, roads and services.
The senior official indicated that the Venezuelan government is dealing with the situation through the “Rainy Staff” headed by President Maduro, as the situation is constantly assessed and preventive measures are taken, especially in states where rivers are important in the country. country.
Given the severity of the situation, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro issued an emergency decree on Tuesday It includes a “special revolving fund” of 10 million bolivars (more than two million dollars) to “overcome” the situation.
In a perfect union of civil, military and police, together with the power of the people, we will succeed in meeting and overcoming the rain situation to continue the progress towards the development of the country. We have everything to achieve, we have a homeland, and if there is a homeland: we will win! pic.twitter.com/VBOTBkRf1K
– Nicolas Maduro (@Nicolas Maduro) April 27 2022
The situation in the south of Lake Maracaibo
Among other details, the minister also talked about the critical situation that has arisen in the south of Lake Maracaibo – in the west of the country -, A large area was then flooded with water Zulia river flood This affected four municipalities in the region: Colón, Catatumbo, Sucre and Bolgar.
In addition to damage to homes, road infrastructure and services, the flooding caused Huge losses in many productive farms who worked in agriculture and livestock. Dozens of animals were also left in the middle of the water, including cattle and goats, which both local residents and the military devoted themselves to rescuing to take them to safe places.
We will do what we have to do to help the affected and productive population in the area, and ensure the greatest protection and rescue for the livestock that are raised in the south of the Lake District. Zulia all of us!Tweet embed Tweet embed Tweet embed pic.twitter.com/tg481IjFJ7
– G/B Erasmo Ramos Iriza (ramosiriza) April 28, 2022
The Minister commented that to meet the emergency, they had arranged “all necessary mechanisms” and personnel required to work both for the repair of the dam that contained the Zulia River, as well as preventive work towards the “peripheral regions”. “
As Ceballos pointed out, In states where the situation is more serious, they brought 25 tons of foodas well as supplies such as medicines, household goods, tools, and other necessary resources.
Prevention tasks
In addition to containment work, the authorities have embarked on a precautionary plan across the country, particularly in places where the most important rivers are located, such as the Arauca River in Apure state, Tachira state, among others.
For this, the minister specified that the nation has 20,000 civil protection and firefighting officials, not including the armed forces, to carry out monitoring work that includes a sensing system for water levels in rivers.
In this sense, Ceballos too He called on the citizens to be vigilant in this situation They urged not to visit sites near rivers and mountains, which could expose them to dangerous situations. “Prevention is necessary to preserve life as well as maintain contact with the authorities,” he said. (agency summary)
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