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Tragedy Strikes: Colombia's Deadly Floods

Over 260 people were killed in flooding and landslides in southern Colombia after heavy rains caused rivers to overflow. Rescuers searched for victims among the debris and bodies were being buried quickly to prevent the spread of disease. Hundreds more were injured and entire neighborhoods were devastated by the flooding. The mayor of one town said they had no coffins or clean place to put bodies that had been recovered. Families searched through the night for missing loved ones as disaster officials worked to provide emergency housing and reunite lost children with their parents. Climate change and deforestation were blamed for the heavy rains that caused the widespread destruction, leaving many without power or water.

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Isabela Rincon Hurtado
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46 views2 pages

Tragedy Strikes: Colombia's Deadly Floods

Over 260 people were killed in flooding and landslides in southern Colombia after heavy rains caused rivers to overflow. Rescuers searched for victims among the debris and bodies were being buried quickly to prevent the spread of disease. Hundreds more were injured and entire neighborhoods were devastated by the flooding. The mayor of one town said they had no coffins or clean place to put bodies that had been recovered. Families searched through the night for missing loved ones as disaster officials worked to provide emergency housing and reunite lost children with their parents. Climate change and deforestation were blamed for the heavy rains that caused the widespread destruction, leaving many without power or water.

Uploaded by

Isabela Rincon Hurtado
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Flooding, Landslides Kill More Than 260 in Colombia

Families and rescuers ___searched_____ Sunday for __victims_____ of flooding


and landslides in southern Colombia. The destruction has killed more than 260 people,
Reuters reported. More than ____40 children_______ are among the dead,
___president_____ Juan Manuel Santos has confirmed. Many of the bodies are now
breaking down, Reuters _reported_____ Monday. Bodies wrapped in white cloth lay on
the _floor____ of the morgue. Officials are ___attempting_____ to bury them as soon as
possible to avoid the spread of disease. The government will begin vaccination against
_____infectious____ disease Monday.

In addition, hundreds _have_____ __been_____ __injured_____, and entire


neighborhoods __have___ _been___ devastated. Water from a number of rivers flowed
over land near Mocoa in the early hours Saturday. The flooding _sent____ water, wet soil
and debris ____crashing____ down streets and into houses as people _slept______.
Volunteers and emergency fire workers ___attended______ to 82 bodies in Villagarzon,
the town where the river had carried the bodies. The workers said many dead bodies
were still ___trapped_____ in the debris. Jhon Ever Calderon is the mayor of Villagarzon.
He ___told__ Reuters that people have had to go find the bodies. What was worse, he
explained, is that the town had no coffins or a clean place to put them.

Many families in Mocoa __stayed____ awake through the night to search the debris,
despite the lack of electricity, Reuters noted. “I need to know where they are, if they are
__injured____ or where to __find____them,” Maria Lilla Tisoy __cried____. She was
searching the debris for a 4-year-old granddaughter and two of her daughters, one who is
pregnant. “If they are dead, please God deliver them to me,” she said. President Santos
traveled to the town of Mocoa again Sunday to supervise ___operations______. “We will
___continue_____ to search for survivors. And, the first thing I want to say is that my
heart, our hearts and the hearts of all Colombians are with the victims of the tragedy,” he
said. Santos blamed climate change for the __disaster_____, saying Mocoa had
received one-third of its usual monthly rain in just one night.

Others __said____the cutting of forests in surrounding mountains mean few trees can
prevent water from washing over the land. Disaster officials __said____ more than 500
people __were____ staying in emergency housing. And, social services had helped 10
lost children find their parents. The destruction _came_____ after days of extremely
heavy rains. Large parts of the area are now without electrical power or
__running_____water. Pope Francis spoke of the disaster Sunday at the Vatican, saying
he was deeply saddened. In Colombia, heavy rains, mountains, and informal construction
__make___ landslides common events. However, the intensity of the Mocoa disaster was
alarming compared to incidents in recent years. In 2015, for example, a landslide killed
nearly 100 people.
President Santos ______ Colombians to ____ protective measures against the flooding
and continuing rains. He thanked China for donating _______ in aid. He also ______ the
Inter-American Development Bank for its $200,000 donation toward aid efforts. Santos
also ________ appreciation to Germany and Belgium, which are also _______ aid. In
recent months, heavy rains and flooding have hit the Pacific coast of South America hard.
The floods have _______ many people in Peru and Ecuador.

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