EFE
At least 24 deaths and more than 1.77 million affected Guatemalans have left the 2022 rainy season in this country, where 911 incidents have been recorded, ranging from landslides to floods.
A report released this Sunday by the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conred) specifies that the majority of victims have been registered in the departments of Alta Verapaz (north) and Escuintla (south) with 8 and 5 deaths, respectively.
In addition, 4 people were reported missing and 8 injured during the rains this year in Guatemala, considered one of the countries with the highest risk of the effects of climate change.
Official statistics indicate that the number of affected Guatemalans totals 1,772,187, while the victims are 3,426, the evacuees are 7,301, the sheltered are 874, and the assisted are 16,696.
La Conred details that so far the winter, which began in May and lasts until November, has caused 911 incidents, including landslides on roads and landslides in various regions and floods.
According to civil protection authorities, the rains have destroyed 4 roads, 24 bridges and 218 homes. But 239 roads, 47 bridges, 130 schools and 10 buildings have also been affected, while 2,552 houses are moderately damaged and 656 slightly.
The chaos in the road network was unleashed on June 14 when a hole two meters in diameter was opened at kilometer 15 of the section that connects Guatemala City with the coast to the Pacific Ocean, whose authorization is transcendental for commerce and tourism, among other sectors.
Due to the damage caused by the rains, the president of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei, decreed on June 22 a state of public calamity in 8 of the 22 departments into which the Central American country is geographically divided.
However, a day later, Congress not only ratified the measure but also extended it to the national level for a period of 30 days due to the high risk posed by the rains.
The state of calamity also restricts free movement and the suspension of public shows, among other measures, according to Guatemalan law.
In 2021, rainfall caused 31 deaths, 17 people injured, 2 missing, and affected 1.4 million Guatemalans.
