The overflowing of the Uruguay River is still affecting 3 departments in northern Uruguay. According to Uruguay’s Sistema Nacional de Emergencias (SINAE), there are still 1,884 people waiting to return home. Many of them evacuated their homes in the first week of July when the flooding first began.
Levels of the Uruguay river have now started to fall, but further severe storms and heavy rainfall have been forecast for later this week.
The affected departments are Artigas, Salto, Paysandú. 1884 people still remain displaced by the floods. Around 1,082 of the displaced are in Paysandú.
Heavy rainfall in late June and early July pushed river levels high enough to initially displace over 1,400 people across 5 departments ( Paysandú, Artigas, Salto, Durazno and Canelones).
However, SINAE said the situation is under control and river levels are now dropping. In Salto and Puerto de Bella Union, Artigas, river levels have dropped below flood stage. At one point, levels in Puerto de Bella Union were 9.07 metres (flood stage is 6.5 metres). In Paysandú, levels of the Uruguay River are also falling, but remain at 6.78 metres, well above the 5.5 metre flood stage.
More severe weather is expected. The Uruguayan Institute of Meteorology (INUMET) issued an orange level storm warning for the north, northeast and east of the country.
President Mujica Visits Flood Hit Paysandú
On 10 July 2014 President Mujica, together with the deputy secretary Diego Canepa and other memebers of SINAE, flew over flooded areas of Paysandú and visited camps for the displaced.
Sources: Sinae
