President Luis Lacalle Pou travel today to Florida after the historic flood suffered by the department, which has cut off access to the city and generated the forced displacement of more than 2,000 people after the intense rains that hit Uruguay.
The storms of the last few hours have caused damage and flooding in multiple places in the country, but Florida It is one of the places most affected by extreme weather conditions. The president was not oblivious to this. Lacalle Pou that, in addition to having been in permanent contact with the National Emergency System (Sinae)will personally travel to the department to tour the flooded areas.
Meanwhile, the president talks with the mayor of the department, Guillermo López; as well as with the different ministries that have been informed of the situation. In parallel, the Emergency Coordination Center (Cecoed) helps the evacuees while the situation normalizes Santa Lucia river boy.
A historic flood
Less than a year ago, that entire area of Florida was begging for some water, in the middle of a historic drought that hit the entire country and that, in the department, had a direct impact on the flow of the Saint Lucia River and in the reserves of the dam Severino Pass. Today, the scenario is completely the opposite.
After the unusually intense storms of the last few hours, Florida records the worst flood of its history, “with a historical record, with historical effects and with a flood that reached places it had never reached,” according to Mayor López.
The maximum flood peak in the Santa Lucía Chico River occurred at 5 in the morning, and was located 1.20 meters above the previous one. record registered. At first, and due to the impact on homes caused by the advance of water over the city, 1,000 people self-evacuated and another 74 were evacuated by Cecoed. This figure, however, rose to more than 2,000 as the hours passed.
Likewise, López reported that the floods also caused cuts in main traffic routes and in secondary schools. “Traffic has been cut off along Route 5 in the early hours of the morning and the cut still continues, so it is urged to avoid those routes. The bridge over High Stone It was overflowed by one meter above the deck level. While in Paso Severino the spillway is operating for the first time, which implies the cutting of route 76, that is, preventing the alternative road that could exist to route 5 due to the flooding of the Santa Lucía Chico,” explained the mayor of the department.
Regarding this critical situation, furthermore, there is drinking water cut because the plant was out of operation, also due to the floods; although there will be alternative sources of supply.
“We thank everyone who collaborated from self-evacuation and from different places. The situation continues, it is dynamic and, of course, we remain in a permanent session of the Cecoed as we have been for several days,” said López, in this regard.
Source: Ambito
