Aranzazu (Caldas), on orange alert due to the rainy season

Photo | Taken from @medioambientecaldas | HOMELAND

Aranzazu authorities have issued alerts due to heavy rains, which have exceeded last year’s levels.

THE HOMELAND | Manizales

The heavy rains took to the authorities of Aranzazu to alert the population due to the increase in the accumulation of torrential water compared to last year. Yesterday, the municipality registered an accumulation of 326 millimeters of rain82 millimeters more than in previous years, when the figure did not exceed 244 millimeters.

Paula Marcela Villamil, head of the Caldas Risk Management Unit, notes that The entity is continuously monitoring rainfall indicators at the Anserma meteorological base to identify possible landslide risks.

According to the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (Ideam), Aranzazu is on yellow alertbut Villamil says that the municipality has exceeded the limits to justify this measure. “We are ready to deploy any help, both departmental and national, if necessary,” he says.

Background with landslides

The mayor, Sebastián Merchán, stated that the inclement weather to which the municipality is most exposed It’s the landslides. “We will carry out mitigation works, especially in the repairs on main roads. We will hire personnel to cover these works. I don’t know if we don’t have water accumulation in those sectors, so there We are going to have an economic effort from the Mayor’s Office to mitigate that risk“, Explain.

Merchán warns that The municipality has a history of disasters and therefore invites us to “not let our guard down” and take the precautions issued by the responsible organizations. “We had two unfortunate episodes in which there were landslides in the urban area. Some homes were affected, but we do not regret any deaths. We know that Aranzazu has highly erosive soil,” he points out.

Add that Although the municipality does not have the expected budget, they plan to approve an agreement in June to allocate resources and increase the budget for emergency response due to inclement weather.. “We will prioritize more resources for risk management and not wait for events to happen, but rather make an action plan,” she says.

Environmental authorities recommend that residents of Aranzazu pay attention to official communications and follow the guidelines of local authorities to prevent possible incidents derived from heavy rains.

What does orange alert mean?

According to National Unit for Disaster Risk Managementis declared when The upward trend in river levels and the persistence of rain indicate the possibility of overflows. in the next few hours.

Implying?

1. Prepare operations for a possible evacuation.
2. Inform the community about emergency warning systems.
3. Establish preparation of equipment and personnel.
4. Coordinate temporary accommodation.
5. Review emergency plans, including health activities, transportation, debris removal, and road adaptation.