Floods hit South America. by Elizabeth Saary
Persistent heavy rainfall across many South American provinces over the last five days has resulted in widespread flooding, leaving several people dead and nearly 40,000 homeless. A Defence official in Santa Fe said “It’s so unusual, I’ve never seen so much rain,” as heavy rains continued into the fifth day.
Bolivia has been hardest hit by the floods, with many of those affected inhabiting the low lying Amazonian flood plains of the Beni Province; an area which is prone to flooding. Thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes, wading through waist deep waters in order to reach safety.
The unusually heavy rain which has been sweeping the region has been blamed on the El Nino phenomenon. This warms the Pacific Ocean waters causing severe weather conditions every few years.
Despite the rainfall beginning to subside, concerns are now being raised over the spread of dengue fever across the region, transmitted by river bred mosquitoes.
It looks as though the worst is not yet over for many South Americans.
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