Flooding, landslides, giant waves, power outages, roads and bridges washed away, piles of garbage: Since the end of January, several regions in Colombia have been underwater. The cause is a cold front in the Caribbean that stretches from the North Pole across the Gulf of Mexico to Colombia. In the view of some researchers, climate change is increasing the frequency of this phenomenon.
Before this weekend, the Colombian Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) had warned of a second cold front bringing even more rain. The peak was expected for Sunday and Monday: with waves up to 3 meters high and wind speeds of more than 30 kilometers per hour.
Around 43,000 families have so far been affected by the cold front, according to the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD). At least 14 people have died. With the exception of the Orinoco region, almost the entire country is affected, says Carlos Carillo, director of UNGRD. Additionally: in the Orinoco region wildfires are currently raging. The Córdoba Department on the Caribbean coast records the highest number of casualties, with more than 33,000 affected families. It is actually the dry season there at the moment.
Shipping, tourism and fishing are suffering, crops have been destroyed, vegetable prices have risen sharply in some places. The sea, raging rivers and heavy rains destroyed within hours what people had built up over years. They are trying to bring their belongings to safety in inflatable boats or garbage bags, waiting for help. In some areas, aerial images show only tree canopies.
In Mallama, in the Nariño Department, a mudslide on Saturday killed seven people. Two houses were buried beneath the earth. This brings the death toll to at least 14.
Not only in the Caribbean city of Santa Marta did the cold front reveal troubling practices and a lack of infrastructure: city administration, the military, waste collection, and students and civil society organizations have been working for days to clear 700 meters of beach of tons of garbage. The residents had thrown it into the Manzanares River, which flows into the sea—but the huge waves washed it back onto the beach.
The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) has advised President Gustavo Petro to declare an economic, social and ecological emergency because of the cold front. Humanitarian aid has begun. Although the cold front is expected to ease from Monday, its consequences will keep the country occupied for longer.
