President Luis Lacalle Pou He spoke about the floods and their victims and assured that the government will meet in the coming days to determine what the damage was and what the next steps would be.
On the other hand, he assured that within seven or eight days it will be possible to determine what the infrastructure damage was, to be able to make a diagnosis and plan assistance to the victims.
“Sinae, OPP, Ministry of Economy, Transport and Presidency We will get together to see what the damage is and what assistance can be given from the central government,” said the president at a press conference, who also announced that the second stage could include the repair of homes together with the armed forces.
Credits for the victims
The floods in Florida and other departments of Uruguay affected by the heavy rains on Wednesday night, and the consequent flooding of the rivers – especially the Saint Lucia boy and the Yí— They not only caused more than 6,000 people to evacuate their homes, but also caused damage and material damage of different levels of severity.
For this reason, the Republic Bank (BROU) as the National Development Agency (ANDE) They announced special lines of credit to contribute to the coming recovery.
In the case of BROU, the institution enabled a line social credits with “special conditions” for families affected by the floods, which can be requested at any branch in the country. The loans will be granted with “soft conditions” such as subsidized interest, payment terms of up to 60 months, and early renewal for families that already have a current loan.
“The amount depends on the family’s income. In each situation we will see the relationship that the fee has with the family’s income and we will be able to reach the maximum that can be given in each situation,” explained the manager. of BROU, Mariela Espino; which also assured that consumer credit is freely available.
In return, the only additional document will be requested: proof that the people were really affected by the climatic events, either Emergency Coordination Center (Cecoed) or any body that can verify exceptional circumstances.
For his part, the director of ANDE, Martin Ambrosi Happelannounced that the agency enabled a line of credit for micro, small and medium enterprises affected “due to adverse weather events.” Although there are still no further details in this regard – they will be available from Monday in the Microfinance Institutions-, It’s about a subsidized credit for companies affected by floods and storms.
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 the mayor of Florida, Guillermo 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.
Source: Ambito
