Colombia faced a devastating period of rainfall that left at least 47 people dead, 49 injured, and 7 missing as the country neared the end of a prolonged wet spell. The National Disaster Risk Management Unit (UNGRD) reported this toll on Monday, noting that the rainy season began to ease only recently, with a decline in rain from March 16 through May 9. Across the nation, about 18,100 families were affected by the weather events, underscoring the widespread reach of the floods and landslides. The most severely impacted regions included Antioquia, Cauca, Santander, Huila, Tolima, and Nariño, where the combination of heavy rainfall and saturated soils overwhelmed local infrastructure and communities.
The deluge not only damaged homes and livelihoods but also strained essential infrastructure. A total of 185 houses collapsed or were rendered uninhabitable, and another 9,300 people suffered various damages due to floodwaters. Transportation networks bore the brunt as 480 highways experienced damage, 48 vehicle bridges and 24 pedestrian bridges sustained failures, and critical water and sanitation systems faced disruption with 64 aqueducts and 27 sewers affected. The educational sector also felt the impact, with 54 schools and other educational facilities reporting damage. Infrastructural losses extended across health and sanitation services, complicating relief and recovery efforts. The UNGRD documented a spectrum of events during this period, including 271 landslides, 129 floods, 64 flash floods, 37 storms, 13 storms in varying intensities, 11 torrential rain episodes, and 4 hailstorms, all contributing to the cumulative toll on communities and local authorities. These figures reflect a sustained pattern of intense precipitation and related hazards that stretched response mechanisms across multiple departments and municipalities.
Officials pointed to the unusual strength of this initial rainy season, with reports indicating higher precipitation volumes beginning around March 16 and culminating in a surge of weather-related events into the spring months. Fernando Carvajal, a senior UNGRD official, highlighted that the country experienced as many as 529 reported events during this period, dominated by mass movements and flooding. These phenomena were the primary drivers of the damage recorded, affecting households, transportation corridors, and critical services. The administration also noted that Colombia has endured a second consecutive year of the La Niña phenomenon, which tends to bring cooler Pacific waters and increased rainfall during the May through autumn period. This climatic pattern has compounded the challenge for communities across the nation, and experts continue to monitor ongoing rainfall trends and their potential to trigger additional hazards in the coming months. La Niña’s influence has historically correlated with wetter seasons in Colombia, shaping both emergency planning and long-term resilience strategies for municipalities facing recurring flood and landslide risks. The UNGRD cautioned that while some regions might see temporary relief, others could remain vulnerable to renewed precipitation and secondary impacts such as erosion, road blockages, and disruption of water supply, underscoring the need for sustained preparedness and rapid response capacity. [UNGRD, 2023] [Climate Analysis Office, Regional Group for the Americas]