Roads turned into rivers
2005-02-10 08:13
La Guaira - Helicopters rescued stranded Venezuelans from a coastline battered by floods on Wednesday as the death toll rose to at least 13 amid torrential rains that triggered landslides, demolished homes and turned roads into rivers.
The government declared a state of emergency in the capital of Caracas and six north-central states, while hundreds of flood victims took refuge in emergency shelters.
Swollen rivers ran across roads along the mountainous Caribbean coast, stranding thousands in the same area where flooding and mudslides five years ago killed thousands.
"The fear is that this could get out of control," said Jose Gerardo Valecillos, a 37-year-old lawyer who lived through the 1999 floods, standing atop a concrete wall overlooking a canal while floodwaters raced past.
In the small coastal town of Tanaguarena, rocks and floating logs tore holes in the walls of homes. One bulldozer got stuck in deep mud as it tried to clean off a street.
The death toll climbed to 13 on Wednesday as the floods continued for a second day. Eight were confirmed dead in the coastal town of Puerto Cabello, including five members of a single family who died in a landslide, Mayor Osmel Ramos told reporters.
Landslides crushed several homes in Caracas, killing three people on Tuesday, including a nine-year-old girl and a 72-year-old man, emergency officials said. One body was found on the banks of the Tuy River outside Caracas, and another appeared floating on the coast.
Authorities ordered more than 4 300 people to evacuate their homes on Tuesday, and more than 500 people lost their homes entirely, said Colonel Antonio Rivero, the country's civil protection director. At least two people were reported missing after being carried away by floodwaters, Rivero said.
In Caracas, more than 400 flood victims spent the night on mattresses on the floor of a convention centre.
Nery La Cruz, 27, said heavy rains loosened the hillside above her home in a Caracas slum on Tuesday and in a matter of minutes she heard the earth begin to give way.
"I only thought about saving my children," she said, nursing her four-month-old daughter. "As soon as I got outside my home, the mountain came tumbling down and took everything down into the ravine. I lost everything."
About 1 000 flood victims took refuge in emergency shelters in Puerto Cabello, officials said. Other people left their homes and moved in with family or friends.
"The danger still has not passed," said vice-president Jose Vicente Rangel, adding that the forecast called for another day of rain.
Officials said Venezuelan troops would start using boats to rescue stranded people along the coast.
Associated Press reporters Fabiola Sanchez and Jorge Rueda in Caracas contributed to this report.
- AP