Venezuela Floods Aug 1988

1- Heavy rains have caused flooding in northeastern part: states of Anzoategui and Bolivar. Towns of Barcelona and Puerto La Cruz without water supply.

2- Initial estimate indicates 100 families homeless

3- Damage to agricultural areas along river Querecual.

Venezuela Floods Jul 1996

1- According to UNDP/DHA resident representative in Caracas the flood situation tends to normalization. The Orinoco River has crested and slowly going down.

2- Regional and national authorities have been providing assistance to the affected population through their civil defense structures. The national GVT has allocated until now VEB 80 million (Approximately US$172000) for the overall relief operation. The Venezuelan corporation of Guayana has also contributed with VEB 100 million (Approximately US$ 215000).

3- With the rainy season just starting, contingency planning is under way for several regions potentially threatened by the flood waters from the Orinoco River, in particular the regional HUB of Puerto Ayacucho.

4- There is still a need for food and firewood. Agriculture tools and seeds (Preferably from the areas not affected by the flood waters) are needed.

Venezuela Floods Sep 1987

1- The UNDRO/UNDP resident representative has reported on the serious and devasting floods caused by torrential rains on Sunday 6 September which affected the states of Aragua and Miranda.

2- In the towns of Barrio El Progreso, Mata Seca, San Jose, Sacanova Godoy and Tierra Nuestra, 600 families have been made homeless, amounting to 3000 persons in total. So far 101 deaths have been recorded and 255 people are still unaccounted for. Around 5800 people were evacuated from the affected region either overland or by the air and sea transports. Communications and roads have also been damaged.

3- Two focal points are currently engaged in coordinating relied operations, namely the National Relief Command (Headed by the president of the republic’s private secretary) and Utilising Military and Civil Defense Resources and the Venezuelan National Red Cross. Both bodies are receiving national donations of food, clothing and other relief items from the general public and commercial concerns.

Venuzuela Floods Dec 1985

Severe flooding caused by heavy rains and resulting in landslides and the overflowing of rivers made more than 15000 people homeless throughout Venezuela. Most critically affected areas are Caracas and coastal districts near Mount Avila.

Caracas Flood, December 19, 1999

Continuous severe rainfall from 8 to 19 December 1999 caused disasters in the eight states of northern Venezuela. The state of Vargas, located on the northern slopes of the Cordillera De La Costa mountain range, was the most severely damaged by landslides, debris flows, and flash floods induced by concentrated rainfall from 15 to 16 December.

The official statistics of damage compiled by the Civil Defense Agency of the state of Vargas at the time of our reconnaissance in March 2000 were as follows (Maki, 2001): Affected houses, 40,160; completely collapsed houses, 20,000; affected persons, 214,000; injured persons, 2,700; dead persons, 248; missing persons, 2,850; refugees, 43,569. The media and local governments, however, estimate the lives lost as 25,000 to 50,000, and the International Red Cross makes it as high as 30,000. The reason for the wide range in the death toll is due to the non-availability of census data and difficulties in recovering bodies from under thick rocky debris or deep in the sea. This disaster is said to be the worst to have occurred in Latin America in the 20th century.