Latin America & The Caribbean Weekly Situation Update as of 1 March 2024

SOUTH AMERICA: FLOODING

KEY FIGURES

15,000 families affected by Bolivia’s rainy season

11,300 people evacuated due to flooding in Brazil

100 districts in state of emergency due to heavy rains in Peru

Bolivia: On 28 February, the municipality of Cobija, in northwestern Bolivia, declared a state of emergency due to intense rainfall, causing the overflowing of the Acre River. The flooding left 14 communes underwater, forcing 570 families to seek refuge in six shelters. The ongoing rainy season, exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon, has claimed 40 lives and affected over 15,000 families, nationwide. The National Meteorological Service has issued an orange weather alert for rains and thunderstorms in La Paz, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz,
Beni and Pando.

Ecuador: Since 29 January, 821 weather-related events, including flooding (62.97 per cent), landslides (18.88 per cent) and structural collapses (7.55 per cent), among others, have affected more than 115,000 people across the country. According to the Secretariat of Risk Management (SGR), the extreme weather has left 6 people dead, 7 people injured and damaged or destroyed more than 25,000 houses. Incidents have occurred in 137 cantons across 23 of Ecuador’s 24 provinces, affecting the most people in the provinces of Manabi, Guayas, Los Rios, Esmeraldas, Cotopaxi and Santa Elena. The province of Bolivar has declared a state of emergency due to the rains, along with 12 cantons across various states.

Peru: On 27 February, the Government of Peru declared a 60-day state of emergency in 100 districts across 17 out of the 24 departments due to the severe impact of heavy rains. The rains, which have persisted since the beginning of the year, have resulted in overflows, landslides and floods, damaging or destroying over 2,000 houses and affecting some 40,000 people, according to official figures. According to risk assessments conducted by the National Centre for Disaster Risk Estimation, Prevention and Reduction (CENEPRED), potential flooding in the coming days and weeks may affect more than 900,000 people across 14 departments.

Brazil: Heavy rainfall, river overflow and flooding across the western state of Acre has prompted a state of emergency in 17 out of the state’s 22 municipalities. As of 28 February, approximately 11,300 people have evacuated, many seeking refuge in 46 shelters across nine affected municipalities. In Brasileia, flooding has forced the evacuation of at least 800 people and caused significant infrastructure damage. The flooding, which is the first the city has had since 2015, has blocked the city’s sole land access road and has forced health centres to evacuate patients.