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PARLATINO for Economic,
Social Gains
State of Disaster
Declared in Nicaragua After Torrential
Downpours
Fidel Castro Talks about
Elections in Cuba
Bolivian soldiers,
police battle airport
workers
Chile, U.S.
Conclude
joint air maneuvers |
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State of Disaster
Declared in Nicaragua
After Torrential
Downpours
Torrential downpours
caused "Rio Grande de
Matagalpa" river to grow
9 metres and overflow
the town damaging
infrastructure and
ruining crops throughout
the area. That forced
Pres. Ortega to declare
a state of disaster.
President Daniel Ortega
declared a state of
disaster after days of
incessant rains in
Nicaragua left at least
nine people dead and
thousands homeless in
the Nicaraguan
department of Matagalpa.
"We are declaring a
state of disaster and
not a state of
emergency," he said,
adding "a state of
emergency limits the
rights of the citizens
and here we are not
limiting any right to
any citizen."
The torrential downpours
caused the "Rio Grande
de Matagalpa" river to
grow some nine metres
and overflow into the
town damaging
infrastructure and
ruining crops throughout
the area.
The strong currents have
caused vehicles to
overturn on the roads
and dragged makeshift
homes, cars and
household appliances
into the river.
The situation has still
caught many residents
off guard, and rescue
teams have been working
constantly in order to
help the local
inhabitants.
"Nobody was prepared,
some of us were coming
back from work and
suddenly we realized the
river had overflowed and
it began creating
havoc," a local resident
told Nicaraguan
television.
Rio Grande de Matagalpa
which borders the city
by the same name, has
some of the strongest
currents in the area.
Ortega meanwhile met in
Managua with a
Venezuelan delegation in
Nicaragua to help assess
the damages in Matapalga
and other districts of
the country affected by
the floods which
destroyed several
neighbourhoods and
toppled bridges.
The Nicaraguan president
asked his Venezuelan
counterpart Hugo Chavez
for help in dealing with
the situation.
Chavez said a team had
been sent to Nicaragua
to help his delegation
assess the overall
damages.
Heavy rains meanwhile
continued to fall
throughout the country,
including the capital.
The city's mayor
Dionisio Marenci said
that if it continued to
rain, floods could force
the closing down of the
Sandino international
airport.
The recent damages
caused by the constant
rains throughout the
region have affected
thousands of Nicaraguans
who were still trying to
recuperate from the
damage caused by
Hurricane Felix last
month.
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