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Flood Victims In Uruguay Now Over 4,100
MONTEVIDEO - The number of displaced people
in Uruguay due to the flooding in the north
and center of the country rose to 4,186, the
Uruguayan National Emergency System (SNE)
said Wednesday.
The largest number of victims, 1,614, is in
Artigas, capital of Artigas department, 500
km north of the nation's capital Montevideo,
as a result of the overflow of Cuareim
River, which borders Brazil.
The second most affected city is Salto, 500
km northwest of Montevideo, with 1,500
people displaced due to the overflow of the
Uruguay River, which borders Argentina.
According to the National Direction of
Meteorology, the rains will continue
throughout the whole country on Wednesday
and Thursday, which could worsen the
situation.
In Paysandu, 100 km south to Salto, the
flooding of the Uruguay River also made some
400 people homeless.
The flooding also affected the localities of
Treinta y Tres in the northeast (192
evacuated), Mercedes in the west (147
evacuated) and Rio Branco (104 evacuated).
With the help of the Air Force, authorities
have dispatched emergency relief items to
the affected areas including tents,
mattresses, blankets, hygiene products and
fuel.
In 2007, Uruguay suffered the worst flooding
in 50 years, leaving some 12,000 people
homeless and causing millions of U.S.
dollars in property loss, which led the
government to declare a "national disaster."
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