Venezuelan authorities reported this Friday that at least 18 people have died from the torrential rains that have affected Venezuela for two weeks.
The announcement was made by the Vice Minister of Risk Management and Civil Protection of Venezuela, Carlos Pérez Ampueda, and specified that the last victim was an 86-year-old woman who died this Thursday after the fall of a wall due to the rains, in the state of Sucre. (525 kilometers east of Caracas).
Speaking to Venezuelan state television, Carlos Pérez Ampueda explained that the rains of the last 24 hours have caused flooding in 22,000 homes, of which 17 have totally or partially collapsed.
On the other hand, according to the National Center for Emergencies and Disaster Control, 64,000 people were affected by bad weather, which in addition to flooding caused landslides, collapsed roads and power failures in Caracas and in the states of Miranda, Carabobo and Halcón. .
In the city of Caracas, heavy rains on Thursday raised the water level of the Guaire River to almost overflow and in Cotiza (center-north of the capital) the Caraballo stream overflowed, generating a rapid torrent of water that prevented the population from traveling the streets
Bad weather caused several trees to fall, leaving dozens of vehicles stuck on Cota Mil, the highway that connects eastern Caracas with the city center to the north.
According to local authorities, bad weather affects 23 of the country’s 24 states, with greater intensity in the Capital District (Caracas) and the states of Carabobo, Falcón, Trujillo, Bolívar and Guárico.
During a videoconference, broadcast on state television, the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, explained that the bad weather is caused by “Tropical Wave 41”, which affects 120 of the 335 municipalities in the country, in a “direct and strong” way. ”. .
On the other hand, he explained that in the state of Aragua (100 kilometers west of Caracas), the authorities have preventively closed the road to Choroní, and that more than 3,500 employees from different organizations are responding to different situations.
Likewise, in the state of Trujillo, more than 1,000 members of the Armed Forces and Civil Protection provide support to 12 municipalities affected by the rains.
During a videoconference, the governor of Miranda, Héctor Rodríguez, explained that the landslides and falling trees affected 26 roads. The bad weather also caused the collapse of 11 houses, five of them completely, and five walls.
In Falcón state, 115 homes were flooded and 14 municipalities were cut off from communication by land.
According to the Venezuelan authorities, by the end of the rainy season in Venezuela, which began in May and will end in November, “another 24 tropical storms” are forecast.
Source: TSF
