Six days of heavy rain have left several provinces in Ecuador suffering from overflowing rivers, flash floods and landslides. The severe weather has been blamed for the deaths of at least 11 people and forced over 1,000 people from their homes.
According to a statement made on Monday 23 March by Ecuador’s disaster risk management agency, Secretaría de Gestión de Riesgos (SGR), 736 of the displaced are being housed in temporary shelters and 449 are staying in temporary accommodation with relatives or neighbours.
The heavy rainfall has affected large areas of the country and flooding has been reported in several provinces including Los Rios, Esmeraldas, Napo, Bolivar and El Oro. The heavy rain has caused numerous landslides, with the most severe occurring in Pichincha and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas Province.
Rainfall
WMO report that 53mm of rain fell in 24 hours on 22 March 2015 in Pastaza province and 64.1 mm in Nuevo Rocafuerte, Orellana province.
Ecuador’s meteorological agency, INAMHI, warn that the heavy rain will continue over large parts of the country for a further 48 hours. Central and southern provinces are likely to be the worst affected.
