Floods in Ecuador
© Xavier CastroFloods in Ecuador
Heavy rain that began on 19 January 2016 has caused flooding in the Manabí and Guayas provinces of Ecuador.

Manabí Province

In the province of Manabí, the heavy rain began yesterday, 19 January, 2016. Some of the worst affected areas are in the north of the province, in particular the town of Chone, where flood water in the town's streets is up to 1.5 metres deep. Houses and other buildings have been flooded and schools have been closed as a result.

The rain caused surface flooding within a few hours in the town of Chone. Local media say that since then the Garrapata river, a tributary of the Chone river, has overflowed, affecting farm land in rural areas

Surface flooding has also been reported in the provincial capital, Portoviejo. Elsewhere in the province, the cantons of El Carmen, Flavio Alfaro, Bolívar, Junín, Tosagua, San Vicente, Sucre, Jama and Pedernales have also been badly affected.

Guayas Province


Heavy rain also caused flooding in Guayaquil, the country's largest and the most populous city with around 2.69 million people.

During a 24 hour period between 19 and 20 January 2016, 50.9 mm of rain was recorded in the city, according to figures from Instituto Nacional Meteorologia e Hidrologia (INAMHI). The heavy rain coincided with the high tide of the Guayas River, according to the Instituto Oceanográfico de la Armada (Inocar).

FLOODS
© Xavier CastroFlooding in Ecuador
Flooding has caused chaos on the busy roads of the city and caused damage to buildings. Ecuador's risk management secretariat, Secretaría de Gestión de Riesgos del Ecuador (SGR), reported via Twitter that several buildings have collapsed in the Flor de Bastión area of the city.

The period of heavy rain in Ecuador comes in what has been a fairly dry January in the country. According to figures from INOCAR, accumulated rainfall levels for January are below normal.

Floods Ecuador
© Xavier CastroFloods Ecuador