Summary: 5 September 2007, Brussels - The European Commission has allocated €1 million to provide assistance to the victims of the floods in Colombia. The aid will focus on covering the immediate needs of the population in the Northwest of the country. The assistance will be channelled through the Commission's Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) under the responsibility of Commissioner Louis Michel.
Assistance will be provided in the form of food aid, agricultural inputs, access to safe water and sanitation, emergency shelter, basic health care and child protection. The target group is the population affected by the floods in the department of Cordoba and "La Mojana" region, with particular emphasis on communities in rural areas and particularly vulnerable groups such as children, women and indigenous populations. This humanitarian aid decision will provide assistance for up to 45,000
people.
The rainy season has affected Colombia severely this year. It has led to heavy floods and landslides, affecting 28 of Colombia's 32 departments. In total, more than 580,000 Colombians have been affected. The most severely hit part of the country is the Northwest: the department of Cordoba and the "La Mojana" region (covering parts of the departments of Bolivar and Sucre).
From 7 to 10 August 2007 a DG ECHO mission took place in Cordoba and La Mojana to assess the humanitarian situation on the ground. Based on the findings of this mission, the decision has been finalized.
This assistance is given in addition to the ongoing relief activities the humanitarian aid department is providing to the victims of the conflict in Colombia. In total, since 1997, the European Commission has allocated humanitarian assistance worth over EUR 108 million to the country.
More info on European Commission's humanitarian aid:
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/field/colombia/index_en.htm
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