In addition to the floods, the heavy rains have also caused 359 landslides on the country’s main roads, the Ministry of Transportation acknowledged.
Effects of winter in several cities of Ecuador. April 27, 2023.
The winter season in Ecuador has caused 1,061 emergencies, according to ECU-911. This number corresponds to the alerts that entered through the single 911 line or that were reported by the video surveillance system.
Emergencies have been:
- Floods (due to accumulation of water, rain, overflow of rivers): 791 (75%)
- Landslides, landslides, landslides: 241 (22%)
- Support floods and landslides: 29 (3%)
“Roads were not prepared”
The prolonged rains have also saturated river basins and caused landslides on the main roads.
The Ministry of Transport points out that 359 landslides have been registered throughout the country, which has led to the constant closure of several highways.
Only in March 2023, according to the minister of the branch, Diego Herrera, Ecuador received 622 millimeters of rain, “that is double the average of the last 15 years.”
During a public event in Cuenca, Herrera pointed out that the roads were 10 or 20 years ago, and because of this ” they were not prepared to receive such a quantity of water.”
Provinces with the most problems
The director of ECU-911, Bolívar Tello, explained that the provinces where the most alerts have been registered are Guayas and Pichincha:
- Guayas: 164
- Pichincha: 163
- Azuay: 114
- Carchi: 98
- Rest of provinces: 522
Tello recalled that “it is necessary that in the face of any news related to the rains, people immediately contact 9-1-1 to coordinate timely care.”
*News originally published at 12:35 p.m. on April 27 and updated at 1:54 p.m. on the same day, with information from the Ministry of Transportation.
