Displaced children in Colombia. Photo: Tommy Ramm, DEA/ACT

Heavy rainfalls have caused flooding along the banks of two Colombian rivers, the Sinú and the San Jorge, in the Cordoba region. The floods swept away cattle farms, homes, schools and crops and left an estimated 55,000 people homeless.

Heavy rains have also caused flooding of the Arauca River at the Venezuelan border. Hundreds of families were forced to move because of the rising flood waters; these are people who had already fled their homes because of the internal armed conflict and had settled in marginal areas along the river banks. At least 300 displaced families are now living in appalling conditions in urban slums and require short-term assistance.

These floods come on the heels of floods and landslides in March that affected 560,000 Colombians and caused 60 deaths in 198 municipalities in 27 regions. At least 16,000 hectares of crops and nearly 6,000 heads of cattle have been lost.

Additional rains are forecast, raising concerns of more flooding in the area. Government authorities have started evacuating people affected by the floods and providing humanitarian aid. The government has requested international assistance in order to respond to the crisis.